With the COVID-19 crisis grounding doctors, demand for online CMEs and upskilling workshops is witnessing a surge. India’s largest online CME provider Omnicuris has witnessed a 40 per cent spike in doctor enrollments in multiple specialties ever since the pandemic broke out.

Over 30,000 doctors have enrolled for different courses since March since the outbreak started, taking total enrollment at the Omnicuris platform from 1.75 lakh to 2.1 lakh within two months. Out of these new enrollments, Post Graduate Medicine students comprise over 2,000. With the disease outbreak preventing them from travelling and physically attending CMEs and workshops, doctors are actively seeking online courses to upskill themselves during the lockdown.

“With all physical conferences and workshops being cancelled and travel coming to a halt, online upskilling courses are witnessing increasing popularity. Much like other professionals, doctors too have turned to digital resources to further their profession during the coronavirus outbreak. While on the one hand they are leveraging telemedicine in a major way to ensure patients continue to receive medical care, on the other hand they are actively seeking online CMEs to upskill themselves during this crisis. At Omnicuris, doctor enrollments have gone up significantly over the last 2 months and we are expecting a continued surge,” said Savitha Kuttan, founder & CEO, Omnicuris.

The coronavirus outbreak has impacted doctors in a number of ways. While a large section of doctors are at the forefront of this battle and are treating patients, doctors from specialties that are not directly involved in COVID 19 treatment are finding it difficult to keep offering the continuum of care to their patients. The largest surge in CME enrollments has come from Cardiology, Endocrinology, General Medicine, Orthopedics and Gynecology specialties.

“Specialists and surgeons are utilizing this time by polishing their knowledge about latest treatment approaches and protocols by accessing online CMEs and workshops. Specialists like Cardiologists and Diabetologists are also concerned about the impact of COVID 19 infection on their patients and how to ensure their health. A significant number of Post Graduate students have also enrolled in our CMEs over the past 2 months,” added Kuttan.

Omnicuris also launched a new digital platform called ‘OC Connect’ to help doctors better engage with patients at a time of the global pandemic and improve the much-needed flow of credible information. The app allows doctors to perform multiple functions using a single digital platform including obtaining online upskilling modules, offering tele-consultations and engaging patients with information to prevent the spread of the pandemic.