The CCFP believes that effective action in addressing the region’s health problems is dependent on constant upgrading of the attitudes, knowledge and skills of the family physicians. In keeping with one of the Strategic Goals, the five member CME committee aims to motivate and foster the pursuit of excellence in primary care through continuing medical education. In fact, continued membership of the organization in based on each member completing a prescribed number of CME-credit hours annually.

At this time, the CME committee is focused on providing two main activities:
1. A monthly lecture via an on-line conferencing service, allowing member family physicians with internet access to log-on and interact. The CCFP hopes to store these live presentations in an internet-library, so that they are available to those unable to join the live discussion; and
2. A three-day general conference held in a member territory once every three-years, the fourth such conference will be held in Barbados in November 2009.

Family physicians from seven countries: Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts, and St. Vincent have all participated in the monthly lectures, which started in 2007. Volunteer Family physicians and a couple of invited consultants have been the presenters to date, as the monthly CME continues to develop.

CME On-line Access.

Each paid up CCFP member will be invited to choose a password and username, and then can access the monthly meetings, (and eventually the internet library) using the meeting link and password. The Secretariat is responsible for sending out the link, and at this time (by consensus) the meetings are held on the third Wednesday of every month, at 8.30 p.m. Eastern Caribbean time.

CME objectives

The CME objectives are to help physicians:

• Recognize or increase index of suspicion for specific illnesses or injuries
• Understand the epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology and clinical features of the disease discussed
• Become educated about how to correctly perform necessary diagnostic tests
• Take a meaningful patient history that will reveal the most important details about the particular problem discussed
• Apply state-of-the-art therapeutic techniques including the implications of pharmaceutical therapy to patients with the particular problems discussed
• Understand the differential diagnosis of the entity discussed
• Understand both likely and rare complications that may occur and provide patients with any necessary discharge instruction.