• Bassem Roberto Saab, Nabil Kanaan, Ghassan Hamadeh, and Jinan Usta.
• Department of Family Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
• J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2003 Jan 1;23(3):168-72.

IntroductionContinuing medical education (CME) is a requirement in many developed countries. Lebanon lacks such a rule; hence, the dictum "once a doctor always a doctor" holds. This article describes a pioneering postgraduate educational program for primary care physicians in remote areas of Lebanon.MethodThe Lebanese Society of Family Medicine introduced a 2-year structured CME program to four remote Lebanese areas. Thirteen family physicians provided 33 activities to 1,073 primary care physicians tackling 22 subjects chosen from a list of 53 common clinical problems approved by community medical leaders. Each attendee was requested to complete an evaluation form at the end of each session.ResultsThe activities were attended by 1,073 physicians, 914 of whom filled out the evaluation forms (85.2% response rate). The analysis of the response of the attendees revealed that 65% of the attendees completely agreed that they benefited from the activities, 68% completely agreed that the presentations were clear, 86% thought that the methods used were adequate, 57% agreed completely that the presenters were prepared, and 69% replied that enough time was available for interaction.DiscussionThe CME programs were conducted with minimal costs. They were well received by attendees. It is recommended that the Lebanese health authorities make CME a requirement to promote the knowledge and behavior of primary care physicians and improve health.

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