Medical conferences and COVID: Where are we now?

By Joe Hannan | Fact-checked by Barbara Bekiesz
Published July 12, 2022

Key Takeaways

  • The return of in-person medical conferences has drawn cheers from some corners, and jeers from others.

  • COVID-19 continues to be a threat, and virtual conferences have lowered the bar for conference attendance. However, research indicates that virtual attendance may have a chilling effect on clinical research and career development.

  • Clinicians can use disease risk and potential environmental costs to inform their conference-attendance decisions.

After a long coma, in-person medical conferences have been revived. ASCO used a hybrid model in 2022 after going virtual the year prior, as did the Endocrine Society, to name a few.

But while in-person medical meetings are making a comeback, COVID-19 has stayed put, leaving some to question the logic, safety, and optics of in-person medical conferences, 2 years after the pandemic’s onset.

Live-event criticism

Perhaps the most scathing critique came from a June 2022 STAT opinion, penned by three EM doctors who took the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) to task over perceived lax COVID-control protocols at its May 2022 meeting.[]

The physicians took umbrage with optional masks, no efforts to minimize crowds, and no vaccine verification system.

“With such a high concentration of the US emergency health care workforce gathered in one place, people with vast collective expertise on how to protect themselves and two-plus years of closely following rigorous safety protocols in their clinical environments, we have to ask: Why did so many eschew restrictions in the face of surging Covid?” the authors wrote.

"And if medical professionals don’t gather safely, how can other professionals, not to mention the general public, be expected to do that?"

Authors, STAT opinion

The SAEM did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

Related: Has Covid killed the live medical conference?

Virtual events, real consequences

Perhaps for every critic there’s someone waxing nostalgic. That’s the case in a February 2022 British Medical Journal Acute Perspective article, written by David Oliver, an NHS physician.[] Oliver lamented the lost opportunity to socialize and learn from peers, or peruse conference posters, asking questions of the authors. 

"The skills and confidence gained—especially early in a career—by speaking to a live audience and gauging the reaction in real time, or by explaining and defending your poster, are different from those required online," he wrote.

A European Urology article also indicates that there may be another unintended consequence of the trend toward virtual conferences: a chilling effect on medical research.[]

Although the findings of the authors’ Twitter poll are not scientific, they are interesting. The poll asked, “As we round out 2020 and the ongoing pandemic: Are you more or less likely to submit an abstract to a conference if the meeting is going to be virtual?”

Among the respondents, 54% said all-virtual conferences diminished the likelihood of submitting a research abstract. Only 10% said they were more likely to submit.

While this is bad on the surface, the broader implications could be worse. The authors hypothesized that fewer virtual submissions may lead to fewer presentations of studies other than those supported by pharmaceutical funding. Non-industry-funded studies are often presented by residents, trainees, and fellows.

Not all of the  data they present will make it into peer-reviewed journals. Moreover, the lack of personal visibility—and the learning experience—gained from in-person presentations may translate to a loss of academic opportunities for these junior physicians. This consequence may be more significant than just the absence of their data.

"Opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and generating new ideas for clinicians, researchers, and medical trainees are probably lost."

Authors, European Urology

Related: The benefits of physician mentorship

Return to IRL

Regardless of the risks, physicians appear to want a return to normal medical meetings. Among 4,180 physicians responding to a March 2022 Doximity poll, 56% said they planned to attend a medical conference in person, 19% said they would stick to virtual offerings, and 6% said they wouldn't be attending in any capacity.[]

More formal surveys of physicians reveal some divergent preferences. A 2022 international survey of radiologists, published in European Radiology, found that 35% want hybrid meetings, 33% want in-person, and 32% want virtual only.[]

Among those critical of virtual meetings, the leading complaints were fewer opportunities for networking, a lack of human contact, and a lack of CME.

The ability to network was also the leading reason why radiologists selected in-person meetings.

“Respondents also felt conference fees should be lower compared to an in-person meeting, presumably reflecting the absence of part of the expenditures related to in-person meetings (eg, catering and venue hire),” the researchers wrote.

Of course, virtual attendance offers certain advantages.

Virtual perks

Eliminating the need to travel opens conference attendance to people who otherwise couldn't make the trip. It also may prove useful to clinicians with children, saving them the logistical hassle and costs associated with finding childcare. And also, mother nature benefits.

A February 2022 Pharmaceutical Medicine study compared the carbon costs of in-person conferences with virtual conferences.[]

The investigators evaluated four highly attended conferences, estimating the carbon footprint created by travel, accommodations, and the size of the conference attendance.

They then compared this with the online carbon footprint, which included energy use for offices and internet service.

The 1,723 in-person attendees at these conferences generated an estimated 3,262,574 kgCO2e, with travel accounting for 91%-96% of the emissions. The 1,839 virtual attendees generated an estimated 19,095 kgCO2e.

“Carbon emissions associated with virtual attendance were two orders of magnitude lower than for in-person attendance, and therefore the benefits of in-person attendance at medical congresses must be balanced against the carbon cost,” the researchers wrote.

Looking ahead, this may become a part of the calculus that doctors make when weighing in-person conference attendance—a decision that already includes the current state of a global pandemic. Regardless, if the public’s taste for telehealth is any indication, hybrid medical conferences, like COVID-19, likely aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. 

What this means for you

2022 marked a gradual return of in-person medical meetings, despite the fact that COVID-19 continues to be a concern. Surveys indicate that many doctors are eager to return to in-person meetings. However, the pandemic highlighted the utility of virtual meetings, and studies have indicated the environmental benefits.

If you're looking to attend a medical conference, whether live or virtual, use MDLinx's conference search to explore upcoming medical conferences and find one where you can network, earn CME credits, and learn about the latest advances in your field.

Read Next: Four ways physicians can foster lifelong learning
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