What is Independent Medical Education (IME)?

Independent medical education is professional education offered to providers at medical congresses or online. Content has to follow guidelines set forth by relevant accreditation bodies such as the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education.

Pharma companies often provide grants to educational providers for development of such courses in areas of interest. The developed content is not reviewed by the company and is not considered to be promotional in nature.

Dedicated personnel in the Medical Affairs group typically set and execute the independent medical education strategy, often looking to include key congresses and have sufficient online offerings as well. IME can constitute a significant part of the medical affairs budget for some brands.