Handbook for setting up courses

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UNION EUROPÉENNE DES MÉDEC INS SPÉC IAL I STES
EUROPEAN UNION OF MEDI CAL SPEC IAL I STS
Association internationale sans but lucratif – International non-profit organisation
AVENUE DE LA COURONNE, 20 16 T +32 2 649 51 64
BE- 1050 BRUSSELS F +32 2 640 37 30
Conclusion:
The formation of the EU has had many political and economic consequences such as disappearing
borders, free trade of goods and labour between countries and the use of a single currency.
However, in addition to these many advantages, there are also many problems, particularly in the
field of medicine. One such problem relates to the regulation which refers to national recognition of
training programs as valid in all member states, and free movement of doctors to work wherever
they like without taking an examination to prove their quality.
We are all well aware of the fact that quality of training is one of the most important factors in the
domain of Quality of Health Care. Unfortunately, there are numerous indications, throughout the
world and within Europe that currently training programs between EU member states are not
comparable in quality or content. Because of this lack of harmonization or standardization European
agencies are need to guarantee to their citizens that a professional who will be taking care of them
has been exposed to the best high quality training there is to offer. This training should additionally
have been evaluated and shown to objectively demonstrate competence of that individual for his or
her current domain of medical practice throughout Europe. For this reason there is a move towards
the European Accreditation of Medical Specialties through standardised and equitable assessment
tools to evaluate physicians who practice any given specialty.
The UEMS, through its publications has realized and addressed the importance of these problems.
“The UEMS Charter on Visitation of Training Centres (UEMS 1997)” recommends minimal standards
to which the training centres should conform. Its “Policy Statement on Assessment during Specialist
Postgraduate Medical Training (UEMS 2006/19)” is aimed at assessing the content and quality of
training in the EU countries and other countries who are full members of UEMS.
With the advent of the Council for European Specialist Medical Assessment (CESMA-UEMS), UEMS
has come to realize that the medical care of European citizens must be held in the highest regard to
ensure all patients across Europe are cared for by competent, skilled and professional physicians.
Since increasingly UEMS recognized medical specialties will choose to evaluate trained professionals
with exams covering both basic knowledge coupled with skills and tests of competency, the UEMS
has compiled this guide to help the various subspecialty boards with successfully writing and
structuring one of the most common and frequently used methods of assessment, the Multiple
Choice Question.