Global standards in medical education for better health care

Successful world Conferences on medical education have been organised by the World Medical Association during the last century. When the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) was established in 1972, it seemed natural for the organisation to continue this tradition. WFME organised 2 invitation-only world Conferences in Edinburgh in 1988 and in 1993. The forthcoming World Conference on Medical Education, to be held in Copenhagen from 15)19 March 2003, has taken Global Standards In Medical Education as its theme. It is open to all those interested in medical education worldwide, and invitations are out now: http://www.wfme2003.ics.dk Why this topic? Because WFME has recognised an increasing interest around the world in the quality of medical education, resulting from the increasing sharing of medical knowledge and ideas across national boundaries and the rise in mobility of the medical work force. Thus, a new dimension in the improvement of health care delivery through reform of medical education has been reached. This has been central to the activities of WFME over the last 2 decades. There is a need for a comprehensive discussion in a world Conference setting about definition and use of internationally accepted guidelines in medical education. In 1997, the Executive Council of WFME launched the project International Standards in Medical Education with special focus on accreditation of medical schools’ educational programmes. Through this project, international standards or guidelines have been compiled by 3 international task forces covering basic medical education postgraduate medical education and continuing medical education (CME) ⁄continuing professional development (CPD), respectively. The 3 sets of standards will provide the essential background material for the world Conference. The standards have been presented at previous international Conferences and initiatives have been taken to implement them in some national or regional accreditation procedures. However, there is a need for further debate on how internationally approved standards can be used in development and recognition of educational institutions and their programmes, thus becoming useful instruments in improving the health care of populations. The Conference will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, 15–19 March 2003, starting with a number of preConference symposia in Lund, Sweden. Besides the 2 hosting universities, WHO, UNESCO and WMA are co-operating partners. It will be organised as a working and consensus Conference built around 3 main topics: (a) the interface of health care and medical education, (b) the concept of global standards, and (c) implementation of standards in medical education. The results will be compiled for planning of implementation measures at a post-Conference seminar immediately following the Conference. The expected outcome of the Conference is to find various models to stimulate quality development in medical education globally and to develop a plan for an international register of accredited educational institutions and programmes in medicine. This Conference is primarily of importance to all those with responsibility for provision of medical workforces and health services, but it will also be relevant to anyone interested in medical education. WFME and the organisers look forward to welcoming you to the World Conference on Medical Education in Copenhagen.