FM CME ASSESSORS BOARD (2024-2027)

CORE FM CME Defined

Under the new CME system, the Singapore Medical Council has come up with the concept of core CME for Family Physicians. Initially, the College has come up with a 5 operational criteria definition. These have been published in the Jan-Mar 2002 issue of the Singapore Family Physician and are reproduced below:

Core CME may be defined operationally as CME that fulfils all the following 5 requirements:

1. Have scientific and clinical content with a direct bearing on patient care.

2. Have a direct bearing on family physicians’ ability to deliver patient care including, but not limited to, laboratory investigations, practice management, and quality assurance

3. Demonstrate high educational, ethical and medical standards, with proven theory and techniques, and generally accepted by the medical community.

4. Have active input and/or participation by family physicians designated by the CFPS in the planning, organization and/or delivery of the programme.

5. Be organised, co-organised or endorsed by the CFPS to be core CME programmes.

For the purpose of the FM CME Advisor work, it was felt necessary to simplify things. Hence, a 5 operational criteria has been created. Core CME is defined here as a CME activity that fulfils the following criteria:

• Is relevant to the work of the family physician in the context of primary, personal, comprehensive and continuing care
• Is relevant to the knowledge and skills development of the family physician
• Is endorsed or co-organised with the College.
• Is essential to the work of the family physician in the care of their patient
• Is important to the care of the patient

The following notes may help to clarify what is not Core CME for the Family Physician.

• CME on new modes of treatment e.g. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) – this is regarded as good to know or nice to know but certainly not must know;
• CME on specialised techniques not used in the family physican’s practice e.g. MRI techniques for imaging the cranial fossa or the spine – again this is good to know or nice to know but not must know.
• CME that is set up by a commercial or entity with vested interest using the College’s endorsement or co-organisation for respectability. The speaker provided is biased, or the content is unduly tilted towards the organisation with vested interest. The pharmaceutical firm’s offers are potentially such CME. They require therefore closer scrutiny as well as written assurances and mutual agreement to downplay any vested interest.

NOTE TO CME COORDINATOR
We would like to bring your attention to the following when making submission of the forms for accreditation.

1. Please ensure that all sections of the form are duly completed. Incomplete submission will not be accredited as FM core CME event. You are advised to contact the CME Advisor in the planning phase of the event to discuss the contents of the event.

2. Please provide adequate information of the contents so that an accurate assessment of the event can be made. Inadequate description may result in rejection of the event as FM core CME event.

3. Completed form must be sent to College at least 4 weeks before the commencement of the event.

4. CME Advisor cannot be the coordinator or speaker of the event.

CME Advisor may request for a more detailed description of the contents if necessary.

THE FM MATRIX

The FM Matrix has been drawn up by the College to guide its vocational training programme. This matrix may therefore be of help for CME providers in ensuring a broad spread of topics that covers the syllabus over a cycle of CME of two or three years.

SMC CME System

FM Matrix