Online continuing education could save over 215 million clinical hours every year.
One platform for every healthcare role
Why online continuing education matters
Continuing education helps healthcare professionals keep their knowledge current, develop their skills and improve patient care. However, attending in-person educational activities may require significant travel and time away from professional and personal responsibilities.
CMEPEDIA aims to
- become the generic distributor of accredited online CE content in developing countries;
- provide access to accredited online CE free or at an affordable rate;
- expose all health care professionals to knowledge of a similar standard regardless of their location;
- reduce the loss of clinical time spent on CE.
Estimated time saved per year through online CE
Adopting online continuing education across medicine, dentistry and nursing could save approximately 214 million hours annually in India.
| Healthcare profession | Time required for in-person CE | Time required for online CE | Potential time saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician | 69.06 million hours | 7.8 million hours | 61.26 million hours |
| Dentists | 13.33 million hours | 5.4 million hours | 7.94 million hours |
| Nurses | 245.28 million hours | 100.2 million hours | 145.08 million hours |
| Total healthcare professionals | 327.67 million hours | 113.4 million hours | 214.28 million hours |
Time required for in-person CE
Time required for online CE
Potential time saved
India has approximately 1.308 million registered physicians. Based on an average requirement of six CME credits per year, attending in-person CME activities can require a considerable amount of time.
As per the NMC guideline used for this calculation, four hours of attendance at a conference is equivalent to one CME credit. When an estimated average travel time of 4.8 hours is included, earning one credit through an in-person activity requires approximately 8.8 hours.
Annual time required for in-person CME
| Participant time or clinical time spent (hours) | Study + Socialising | Travel time | Total time |
|---|---|---|---|
| One CME credit | 4 | 4.8 | 8.8 |
| Six CME credits annually | 24 | 28.8 | 52.8 |
One CME credit
Six CME credits annually
How much time could online CME save?
Clinical time spent in earning CME credits through online events
Completing six equivalent CME credits online would require approximately six hours per physician, without the need to travel. Across all physicians in India, this would amount to approximately 7.85 million hours annually.
The difference between the time required for in-person and online CME represents the potential time saving:
| Type of CME | Per physician annually | All physicians annually |
|---|---|---|
| In-person CME | 52.8 hours | 69.06 million hours |
| Online CME | 6 hours | 7.85 million hours |
| Potential time saved | 46.8 hours | 61.21 million hours |
Online CME could save approximately 61.21 million hours every year
This is equivalent to approximately 46.8 hours saved per physician annually.
In-person CME
Online CME
Potential time saved
India has approximately 330,000 registered dentists. According to the Continuing Dental Education Regulations, 2018, dentists must earn 100 CDE credits over five years an average of 20 credits annually. Credits are awarded according to the duration of the activity: six credits for a full-day activity, three credits for a half-day activity and one credit for a one-hour activity.
For this calculation, a dentist is assumed to earn 20 credits by attending six in-person activities during the year: two full-day events, two half-day events and two one-hour events.
Time required for in-person CDE
Completing these activities would involve 20 hours of study, six hours of breaks and networking, and approximately 23.4 hours of travel. The travel estimate is based on an average of 3.9 hours per event and an assumed urban–rural distribution of approximately 90:10.
| CDE requirement per dentist | Study | Breaks and networking | Travel | Total time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 CDE credits annually | 20 hours | 6 hours | 23.4 hours | 49.4 hours |
20 CDE credits annually
Completing 20 credits through in-person CDE would therefore require approximately 49.4 hours per dentist annually. Across India’s 330,000 dentists, this amounts to approximately 16.30 million hours spent on in-person CDE every year.
How much time could online CDE save?
Completing 20 equivalent CDE credits online would require approximately 20 hours per dentist, without the need to travel or spend additional time at an in-person event. Across all dentists in India, this would amount to approximately 6.60 million hours annually.
The difference between the time required for in-person and online CDE represents the potential time saving:
| CDE format | Time per dentist annually | Time for all dentists annually |
|---|---|---|
| In-person CDE | 49.4 hours | 16.30 million hours |
| Online CDE | 20 hours | 6.60 million hours |
| Potential time saved | 29.4 hours | 9.70 million hours |
In-person CME
Online CME
Potential time saved
Online CDE could save approximately 9.70 million hours every year
This is equivalent to approximately 29.4 hours saved per dentist annually. The number of activities attended and the time spent travelling may vary depending on how and where each dentist earns the required credits.
India has approximately 3.34 million registered nurses. Under the Indian Nursing Council framework used for this calculation, nurses must complete 30 CNE credits over five years, an average of six credits annually.
Five hours of participation in a CNE activity is equivalent to one credit. Completing six credits therefore requires approximately 30 hours of learning each year.
Time required for in-person CNE
For this calculation, each in-person CNE activity includes five hours of learning, an estimated 6.24 hours of travel and one additional hour associated with attending the event. The travel estimate is based on an assumed urban–rural distribution of approximately 64:36 and estimated journey times of three hours for urban nurses and 12 hours for rural nurses.
| CNE requirement per nurse | Learning | Travel | Other event time | Total time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One CNE credit | 5 hours | 6.24 hours | 1 hour | 12.24 hours |
| Six CNE credits annually | 30 hours | 37.44 hours | 6 hours | 73.44 hours |
One CNE credit
Six CNE credits annually
Completing six credits through in-person CNE would therefore require approximately 73.44 hours per nurse annually.
Across India’s 3.34 million nurses, this amounts to approximately 245.29 million hours spent on in-person CNE every year.
How much time could online CNE save?
Completing six equivalent CNE credits online would require approximately 30 hours per nurse, without the need to travel or spend additional time at an in-person event. Across all nurses in India, this would amount to approximately 100.20 million hours annually.
The difference between the time required for in-person and online CNE represents the potential time saving:
| CDE format | Time per nurse annually | Time for all nurses annually |
|---|---|---|
| In-person CDE | 73.44 hours | 245.29 million hours |
| Online CDE | 30 hours | 100.20 million hours |
| Potential time saved | 43.44 hours | 145.09 million hours |
In-person CME
Online CME
Potential time saved
Online CNE could save approximately 145.09 million hours every year This is equivalent to approximately 43.44 hours saved per nurse annually. The time required may vary depending on the activities completed, the distance travelled and the requirements of the relevant State Nursing Registration Council.
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