Subscribe to RSS
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1796631
The European Diploma in Musculoskeletal Radiology: Webinar Program of the ESSR
- Abstract
- What Is a Webinar?
- Webinars and Continuing Medical Education
- Concept of European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology Webinars
- Brief History of European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology Webinars
- Webinar Organization and CME Accreditation
- Participants and Interactivity
- ESSR Webinars as Preparation for the EDiMSK Exam
- Conclusion
- References
Abstract
The European Diploma in Musculoskeletal Radiology (EDiMSK) is a recognized European qualification of excellence for musculoskeletal (MSK) radiologists. Webinars have become a vital component of electronic learning. This article introduces European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology members to its webinar program that offers an additional source of direct interactive learning from renowned MSK radiologists. These webinars contribute to Continuing Medical Education and assist in preparing for the EDiMSK exam. We discuss the concept, history, and organization of the webinars.
#
Keywords
European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology - webinar - European diploma - musculoskeletal radiologyWhat Is a Webinar?
A webinar, short for web seminar, is an online event conducted live over the Internet. It enables participants to engage in presentations, lectures, workshops, or seminars from remote locations. Webinars are a powerful form of electronic learning material (ELM), offering a flexible and cost-effective way to deliver content, facilitate professional development, and promote community engagement.[1] [2]
#
Webinars and Continuing Medical Education
Continuing Medical Education (CME) is essential in health care by helping ensure that physicians are always up to date on the latest information in their field. In most European countries, CME is required for obtaining and maintaining accreditation.[3] [4] Despite the post-pandemic resurgence of live educational events (LEE), ELM and hybrid events are gaining importance, especially among younger professionals.[5]
A 2019 survey by the Accreditation Council in Imaging (ACI) revealed that 80% of respondents believe CME accreditation would enhance their motivation to attend webinars, underscoring the need for expanded accreditation to maintain quality and eliminate commercial bias.[6] The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated the shift toward online education, consisting primarily of webinars and on-demand resources.[7] [8] [9] The European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and ACI adapted by enabling providers to convert LEE to ELM.[5] A 2023 ACI survey indicated improved ELM content quality since the pandemic's onset in spring 2020, with a focus on preserving speaker engagement and interactivity.[5]
#
Concept of European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology Webinars
The European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR) live webinars are designed for radiologists and residents in radiology with an interest in musculoskeletal (MSK) imaging and MSK interventions.[10] The aim is to promote the society's mission in education and research of imaging and image-guided therapy of MSK diseases with a focus on the European tradition of problem solving in this field.[10] New knowledge should be brought from science into clinical practice. The webinars contain interactive lectures given by opinion leaders in their field, clinical case vignettes, live discussions, and practice tips.[10] Presentations are optimized for micro e-learning (i.e., for the comfortable use with mobile devices).[10] The learning objectives are focused on the requirements of the European Diploma in Musculoskeletal Radiology (EDiMSK) offered by the ESSR and the MSK part of the European Diploma in Radiology offered by the European Board of Radiology.[10] [11]
#
Brief History of European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology Webinars
The first ESSR webinar was held on May 7, 2018, initiated by ESSR president-elect Prof. Franz Kainberger and the chair of the ESSR Education Committee, Prof. Carlo Martinolli. Dr. Omar Albtoush, member at that time of the newly established ESSR Young Club during the ESSR Annual Meeting in Bari in 2017, presented two cases of complex joint trauma, followed by Prof. Franz Kainberger's lecture on multimodality imaging of early arthritis. This historical webinar, moderated by Dr. Danoob Dalili, member of the ESSR Young Club at that time, was recorded and is still accessible on the ESSR website[12] under the tab “ESSR WEBINARS.”
As of June 2024, 50 of 54 past webinars are available for ESSR members ([Table 1]). At the beginning, each session typically included presentation of a national MSK society or MSK group, a warm-up case, a main lecture, and finally an interactive audience question-and-answer section. The basic structure has remained with some flexibility. There was one combined European Society of Oncologic Imaging (ESOI)-ESSR webinar in 2020 discussing soft tissue tumors. Starting in 2022, other disciplines related to MSK imaging became involved (sports medicine surgery, plastic surgery, orthopaedic surgery, pathology, and rheumatology). Since 2020, webinars have been held on Mondays and last an average of 71 minutes (range: 52–98 minutes). There are a maximum of 10 webinars per year, with a 2-month summer holiday break.
Abbreviations: Bone-RADS, Bone Reporting and Data System; CT, computed tomography; ESOI, European Society of Oncologic Imaging: European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology; MRgFUS, MR-guided focused ultrasound; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; MSK, musculoskeletal; OA, osteoarthritis; US, ultrasound.
Countries cited: AT, Austria; BE, Belgium; CH, Switzerland; DE, Germany; ES, Spain; FR, France; GR, Greece; IE, Ireland; IT, Italy; LV, Latvia; NL, Netherlands; NO, Norway; NZ, New Zealand; PL, Poland; PT, Portugal; QT, Qatar; SI, Slovenia; TR, Turkey; UK, United Kingdom; USA, United States.
#
Webinar Organization and CME Accreditation
The ESSR webinar team, most of whom also moderated in the past, consists of a member of the Executive Committee (councillor responsible for webinars), the Chair of the Educational Committee, and a representative of the Young Club of the ESSR. Other members of the Educational Committee may also participate in the preparation ([Table 2]). The ESSR office provides administrative support and ensures that all deadlines are met. Since 2023, ESSR subcommittees have become more involved in moderating the webinars as well as in proposing topics and speakers. Each webinar has been accredited with 1 CME point since 2022, meeting expectations of European radiologists, expressed in 2018.[6] Timely application of CME submissions to the ACI are required for CME accreditation, and unexpected cancellations may result in nonaccredited substitute webinars.
#
Participants and Interactivity
For the first webinar held in 2018, only 100 participant places were available due to limitations of the software. The number of available spots for participants was quickly increased before the second webinar. The average number of participants is now 221 (range: 49–380), and the average number of questions posted is 14 (range: 3–70). The number of questions posted in the interactive audience question-and-answer section also reflects growing interactivity. To obtain CME credits, participants are required to complete an evaluation form after each webinar, providing valuable feedback. As the webinars and the platform continuously evolve, questions and proposals are welcome. ESSR members are invited to e-mail their input, including suggestions for webinars, topics, and speakers, to the ESSR office.
#
ESSR Webinars as Preparation for the EDiMSK Exam
Nearly all ESSR webinars are freely accessible to ESSR members in good standing and can serve as a valuable source of information for the written and oral part of the EDiMSK exam.[12] [13] [14] [15] They can be found under the “E-LEARNING” tab on the ESSR website,[16] highlighting another advantage of the webinar concept. Other ELM, consisting of lectures of the ESSR annual meetings, tumor webinars, and ultrasound presentations, can be found at the same tab. Also, because CME credits in MSK events recognized by the ESSR are necessary to fulfill one of the eligibility criteria required to enter the EDiMSK exam, as well as to renew the EDiMSK, ESSR webinars represent a suitable tool to earn them.
#
Conclusion
The ESSR webinar program of the ESSR represents a very useful resource for candidates preparing for the EDiMSK and continues to develop with an increased variety of topics and participant interaction. We wish all candidates success at the EDiMSK examination.
#
#
Conflict of Interest
None declared.
Acknowledgment
We would like to express our gratitude to all presenters and panelists, moderators, webinar teams, the ESSR Executive Committee, all ESSR subcommittee chairs, and the ESSR office for their continuous support, enthusiasm, and time dedicated to the work on the ESSR webinars.
-
References
- 1 Mayday M. What is a webinar and how do webinars work?. Accessed July 5, 2024 at: https://www.on24.com/blog/how-webinars-work/
- 2 Definition of a webinar. . Available at: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/webinar . Accessed July 4, 2024
- 3 Lucic M. ACI Surveys on Accreditation systems in Europe. . Available at: https://www.myebr.org/app/uploads/Report_ACI-Survey_European-accreditation-systems_2017.pdf . Accessed July 5, 2024
- 4 Kwee RM, Kwee TC. Maintenance of certification for radiologists: an overview of European countries. Insights Imaging 2020; 11 (01) 85
- 5 Adriaensen M, Ricci P, Prosch H, Rupreht M. Evolution of continuing medical education in radiology: on-site vs remote. Insights Imaging 2024; 15 (01) 192
- 6 Loewe C, Lucic MA. Webinars as CME tools: a survey by the Accreditation Council in Imaging. . Available at: https://www.myebr.org/app/uploads/Report_Webinars-as-CME-tool.pdf . Accessed July 5, 2023
- 7 Schulte TL, Gröning T, Ramsauer B. et al. Impact of COVID-19 on Continuing Medical Education—results of an online survey among users of a non-profit multi-specialty live online education platform. Front Med (Lausanne) 2021; 8: 773806
- 8 Lucey CR, Davis JA, Green MM. We have no choice but to transform: the future of medical education after the COVID-19 pandemic. Acad Med 2022; 97 (3S): S71-S81
- 9 Rodriguez-Armendariz AG, Saint-Germain MA, Khalafallah AM. et al. The Neurosurgery Research & Education Foundation Young Neurosurgeons Committee webinar series: providing education and inspiration during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Clin Neurosci 2024; 120: 221-228
- 10 European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology. ESSR webinars. Available at: https://www.essr.org/education/#essrwebinar . Accessed July 5, 2024
- 11 European Board of Radiology. European Diploma in Radiology (EdiR). . Available at: https://www.myebr.org/edir/certification-of-excellence . Accessed July 5, 2024
- 12 Weber MA, Adriaensen M, Drakonaki E. et al. European Diploma in Musculoskeletal Radiology: written part of the exam. Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2025;29(03):
- 13 Weber MA, Rupreht M, Drakonaki E. et al. European Diploma in Musculoskeletal Radiology: oral part of the exam. Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2025;29(03):
- 14 Adriaensen M, Rupreht M, Martinoli C, Vanhoenacker F, Robinson P, Drakonaki E. The European Diploma in Musculoskeletal Radiology: past, present, and future. Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2024; 28 (03) 352-355
- 15 Vanhoenacker F, Martinoli C. ESSR diploma: What's new?. J Belg Soc Radiol 2017; 101: 1-2
- 16 European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology. E-Learning on demand. . Available at: https://www.essr.org/e-learning/ . Accessed July 7, 2024
Address for correspondence
Publication History
Article published online:
13 December 2024
© 2024. Thieme. All rights reserved.
Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA
-
References
- 1 Mayday M. What is a webinar and how do webinars work?. Accessed July 5, 2024 at: https://www.on24.com/blog/how-webinars-work/
- 2 Definition of a webinar. . Available at: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/webinar . Accessed July 4, 2024
- 3 Lucic M. ACI Surveys on Accreditation systems in Europe. . Available at: https://www.myebr.org/app/uploads/Report_ACI-Survey_European-accreditation-systems_2017.pdf . Accessed July 5, 2024
- 4 Kwee RM, Kwee TC. Maintenance of certification for radiologists: an overview of European countries. Insights Imaging 2020; 11 (01) 85
- 5 Adriaensen M, Ricci P, Prosch H, Rupreht M. Evolution of continuing medical education in radiology: on-site vs remote. Insights Imaging 2024; 15 (01) 192
- 6 Loewe C, Lucic MA. Webinars as CME tools: a survey by the Accreditation Council in Imaging. . Available at: https://www.myebr.org/app/uploads/Report_Webinars-as-CME-tool.pdf . Accessed July 5, 2023
- 7 Schulte TL, Gröning T, Ramsauer B. et al. Impact of COVID-19 on Continuing Medical Education—results of an online survey among users of a non-profit multi-specialty live online education platform. Front Med (Lausanne) 2021; 8: 773806
- 8 Lucey CR, Davis JA, Green MM. We have no choice but to transform: the future of medical education after the COVID-19 pandemic. Acad Med 2022; 97 (3S): S71-S81
- 9 Rodriguez-Armendariz AG, Saint-Germain MA, Khalafallah AM. et al. The Neurosurgery Research & Education Foundation Young Neurosurgeons Committee webinar series: providing education and inspiration during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Clin Neurosci 2024; 120: 221-228
- 10 European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology. ESSR webinars. Available at: https://www.essr.org/education/#essrwebinar . Accessed July 5, 2024
- 11 European Board of Radiology. European Diploma in Radiology (EdiR). . Available at: https://www.myebr.org/edir/certification-of-excellence . Accessed July 5, 2024
- 12 Weber MA, Adriaensen M, Drakonaki E. et al. European Diploma in Musculoskeletal Radiology: written part of the exam. Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2025;29(03):
- 13 Weber MA, Rupreht M, Drakonaki E. et al. European Diploma in Musculoskeletal Radiology: oral part of the exam. Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2025;29(03):
- 14 Adriaensen M, Rupreht M, Martinoli C, Vanhoenacker F, Robinson P, Drakonaki E. The European Diploma in Musculoskeletal Radiology: past, present, and future. Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2024; 28 (03) 352-355
- 15 Vanhoenacker F, Martinoli C. ESSR diploma: What's new?. J Belg Soc Radiol 2017; 101: 1-2
- 16 European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology. E-Learning on demand. . Available at: https://www.essr.org/e-learning/ . Accessed July 7, 2024