Cologne Consensus Conference Standards and Guidelines in Accredited CPD September 13-14, 2019, Cologne, Germany

On September 13–14, 2019 the eighth annual Cologne Consensus Conference was held in Cologne, Germany. The two-day educational event was organised by the International Academy of CPD Accreditors, a network of colleagues dedicated to promoting and enhancing continuing professional development (CPD) accreditation systems throughout the world. The conference was planned in cooperation with an impressive group of organisations representing leading European and North American institutions: the European Cardiology Section Foundation (ECSF), the Accreditation Council for CME (ACCME), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and Continuing Medical Education–European Accreditors (CME-EA). For the conference’s eighth iteration, Standards and Guidelines in Accredited CPD was chosen as the program topic and educational focus; a choice reflecting increasing international collaborations and an evolution towards consistency and standards across global accreditation systems. A specific list of domains and criteria (developed under a broader initiative already underway by the Academy) would serve as the core content around which the conference was planned. This conference report describes the initiative, the proposed standards to date, highlights of the Cologne Consensus Conference discussions and feedback, and the ongoing process of achieving consensus on the standards yet to be finalised.