Remember going to bars, ball games, and large family gatherings? Those were the days. As you look back on a year of COVID-19 coverage and take in how much your life has changed, you might even find yourself missing one of the more mundane aspects of being a physician. We’re talking about medical conferences. On the subject of medical conferences, opinions among doctors (and the reporters who cover them) range from love to loathe. On one hand, the social butterflies enjoy the opportunity to catch up in person with former med-school colleagues. On the other, the more research-oriented doctors get the chance to absorb the latest developments and evolutions of their calling, or present their work. Others go simply because they have to, and hope that the swag, free cocktails, and location make the journey worthwhile. (We’re partial to San Diego/anywhere with In-N-Out Burgers.) Regardless of where you fall on this continuum, one thing is certain: After the COVID-19 pandemic, medical conferences likely will never be the same. According to IBISWorld, across all sectors, trade show and conference planning contracted by 8.2% between 2015 and 2020. “Fallout from the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic is forecast to generate the largest single year contraction in industry history,” IBISWorld wrote. Prior to the pandemic, the outlook was good for the conference and meetings industry. According to American Express’ 2020 Global Meetings and Events Forecast: There was a projected conference spending increase of 1.6% in North America. Analysts expected a 2.54% increase in meeting activity levels (aka, more meetings). Worldwide, conference attendance was expected to grow between 1.1% and 3.1%. Rapid response Unfortunately, despite these projections, Mother Nature had other pestilent plans. Physician researchers, as they’re wont to do, have put their pens to use. In a December Perspectives piece, several researchers opined on the subject in the journal Academic Medicine. “This crisis presents short-term challenges, but it also opens the door to opportunities for innovation and new practices in medical and health professions education, both now and in the longer term,” the researchers wrote. Unfortunately, the researchers wrote, conference cancellation likely will affect younger physician-researchers most. For this cohort, conferences are opportunities for presentation, collaboration, and reputation-development. Sweeping cancellations have left many of these doctors wondering: What does it mean if my research was accepted for a conference that was canceled? Can I ethically list this research on a CV? How will this affect future opportunities to publish? How might this affect academic career tracks? As a stopgap to address these concerns, the researchers call for conference organizers to digitally disseminate all scholarship that’s congruent with Boyer’s scholarship classification system. Dissemination can take the form of virtual presentations or digital posters. Barring that, conference organizers say submitted work automatically should be accepted for the next year’s conference. Long-term response The writers of the Perspectives piece argue that COVID-19 also presents an opportunity to make conferences more accessible. Attendance, they argue, is often cost-prohibitive. And even if doctors can afford to go and have the blessing of their employers, somebody still has to take care of the patients. The writers suggest taking a three-tiered approach to modifying conferences going forward. Dissemination of content: Abstracts should be available in supplement or online, and open to comments. The same goes for virtual posters, which should be posted online in high resolution. Any presentations should be recorded and available for later viewing. Interactivity with the audience: Presentations should be live-streamed with time allocated for audience questions. Moderators can monitor chats and synthesize overlapping questions. Digital panel discussions could also lead to more representation from women and minorities by eliminating the financial hurdle of travel. Community building/mentoring/networking: Digital meetings enable all members to meet, vote, and shape the direction of the organization. Breakout sessions may allow for small-group discussion. Organizers can use “speed dating sessions” to match junior faculty with senior faculty mentors. “We are not proposing eliminating live, in-person conferences—we value the in-person discourse,” the researchers wrote. “But, including virtual platforms can make more effective use of in-person interactions. … We should be creative in restructuring conferences: what they provide, how they enhance academic relationships, and how they disseminate knowledge, with the goal of enhancing learning with both deeper and broader reach, including to a larger audience beyond physical attendees.” Source
