Congresses

Dozens of congresses and exhibitions on medical and pharmaceutical work and medical equipment took place this year in our country, which leads us to reflect on three important issues: how important are they? Do they really influence the training and updating of the doctor? Are they profitable and how do they benefit the environment in which they take place?

At this point, we can only try to elucidate. Definitely the influence and importance of this type of activities and meetings are highly positive for the sector, as well as generating not only new spaces of knowledge and opportunities for medical research projects, but also, because they are generators of an important economic spill for the destinations where they are carried out and therefore a source of employment generation.

They are important because through these types of events, researchers, academics, medicine and pharmaceutical administrators, brand directors, etc., come together to design improvements and applications in clinical practice.

Contrary to what might be thought, these types of congresses are an irreplaceable instance for former students to meet with their professors, specialists from different cities and universities or other institutions, former classmates from schools, residencies, and scholarships abroad. Coexistence breaks frontiers, shortens distances, renews bonds of appreciation and stimulates the vocation for the respective specialty.

And they are very important, because the presence in congresses and medical conferences has taken a relevant importance for the marketing actions face to face with the diverse clients or sponsoring brands related to the medical and health topic.

They really influence the training and updating of the doctor, the preliminary works that are presented are crystallized in a sustained manuscript and that have light in publications or medical journals of scientific character. In this sense, a balance must prevail between those presentations sponsored by commercial representatives, universities and hospitals, so that not every congress is biased in terms of academic contributions and research work.

The influence on the formation and updating of these events is so powerful that various studies have shown that health professionals decide in advance their route through the congresses they visit, without their visits to one or the other stand being random or the result of chance. It is so strong is willingness that influences, even to make a positive action later as buying the product or prescribing it.

First of all, we must remember that congresses are the showcase of scientific societies, the meeting point of specialists where they exchange opinions and know the latest developments. For a professional it is essential to stay updated and the best way to do it is to go to the congresses, because they are the stage where everything happens and where the best experts of the country and the world are.

Medical presentations are quite frequent events in the biomedical field and are usually held under the auspices of a laboratory, university, association or body, whether national or international. But why aren't they independent? Although the purpose of this type of meeting is to serve as a scientific forum and encourage debate among professionals, there is an irrefutable fact, societies cannot live today from the fees of their members and is a way of obtaining sufficient economic benefits for their operation, in addition to sponsorships and registrations. We will then continue, despite our difficult economic situation, to update ourselves until our pockets allow it.