On the one hand, the COVID19 crisis brought a so-called digitalization boost, but on the other hand it hit the traditional funding of the societies hard. At the beginning everyone wanted to show that they are still active and there were countless free teaching opportunities. The conference technology made it possible to register 500, 1000 or 5000 colleagues for conferences.

The industry was also initially enthusiastic about the large number of participants at one event. With the latter, however, meanwhile a hangover mood did take over. The lack of personal contact at online events has apparently had a negative impact on the Return of Investment (ROI) for the industry. The large companies in particular complain about it, while smaller ones are happy about the greater exposure.

With the new technology, live surgeries can also be financed by small companies and exciting workshops can be designed. For Societies like ISGE, however, all of this becomes a major challenge. The membership fees are adapted to the financial possibilities of our members and their countries of origin. The accreditation, another pillar of the financing, is severely restricted by COVID19, so that new course formats have to be found. For organizers like AAGL or ESGE, congresses are usually an additional source of income, for ISGE these only played a small role in the financing.

Meanwhile, the competition on the web is so great that it is hardly possible to cover the costs. Numerous providers conduct courses online and issue certificates, which is ultimately very problematic. For accreditation and certification, colleagues should contact the professional associations that offer structured and Evidence-based education. ISGE is continuously working on an optimized training of our members, here we want to use the use of IT technologies in order to be able to offer excellent and affordable surgical education globally.

Support us and become a member or a sponsor.

Sincerely

Guenter Noé
Incoming President ISGE 2021