Meetings may retain traces of virtual format in post-pandemic world
The COVID-19 pandemic ended large in-person medical meetings for more than a year, but as vaccinations take hold and the light at the end of the tunnel grows, ophthalmologists are looking toward the future of medical meetings.
“I think we’re going to have a return to some meetings and not to others, and the others that are going to be in a virtual format, we’re going to learn a lot from them,” Rishi P. Singh, MD, co-chair of the Retina 2021 meeting, told Healio/OSN. “I think the virtual format has been able to educate our audiences with regards to the latest treatments for many of the conditions we take care of.”
At a time when it was dangerous to gather hundreds of people closely together, virtual meetings allowed ophthalmologists to communicate and share research.
“Initially, it was a really great experience for many of us to connect with our colleagues, but I think there is some fatigue setting in,” Singh said.
But as in-person meetings come into focus, organizers should keep in mind the virtues of virtual meetings.
“I have enjoyed the downtime of not being ‘up in the air’ all the time and the convenience of being able to speak at three different meetings in three different continents in a day, for example, thanks to the advantages of virtual meetings,” Judy E. Kim, MD, co-chair of the Retina 2021 meeting, told Healio/OSN. “I believe some aspects of virtual meetings will be with us into the future given their value. It is less expensive to attend, with no hotel or travel costs, no time away from the office, and many were held with no or reduced registration fees. Time zone permitting, we can have a global audience. Many meetings were recorded and can be watched later at a convenient time. Depending on the format, livestreamed question and answer or panel discussions were possible. Many enjoyed the chat function of virtual meetings. Given these benefits, I believe some meetings will continue to be virtual.”
However, she said she also believes there are significant benefits to in-person meetings that cannot be replaced by virtual meetings.
“In-person meetings are crucial for networking, which is especially important for younger generations to build their careers. Both in-depth discussions as well as casual conversations can result in generation and exchange of fresh ideas. Nothing can replace being able to walk up to a speaker and getting your questions answered, including fine nuances that may not be presented at the podium. Also, it is great to be able to catch up with your colleagues and their families at in-person meetings. We are interactive creatures; we need human interaction,” Kim said.
Therefore, she believes some meetings will be hybrid with both in-person as well as virtual components.
“I am looking very much forward to Hawaiian Eye and Retina 2021, which will be my first in-person meeting in over a year. It should be noted that it will be a hybrid meeting and will aspire to take advantage of both types of meetings,” Kim said.
Singh predicted a future with a mixture of in-person and virtual meetings. New and unproven concepts will likely be virtual, at least to start.
“In-person meetings are expensive. They require a lot of time and effort on the ground before and afterward, so it may not be possible to every new concept or meeting become this way,” Singh said.
Additionally, virtual meetings allow content to be archived and made available to attendees days or weeks after the conclusion of the sessions, giving physicians the opportunity to peruse the data and absorb the important information at their own pace, Singh said.
New technologies and pieces of equipment alone represent a big reason to return to in-person meetings. When a physician is in the market for a new piece of technology, seeing that equipment on the screen is not sufficient. It is important to be able to touch and try the equipment, Singh said, which is impossible in a virtual setting.
“I missed interacting with the vendors in the exhibit halls and learning of various updates,” Kim said.
The added difficulty of working across time zones and a lack of organic conversations and interactions are other reasons in-person meetings are likely to return, Singh said.
“Generally speaking, we will need in-person meetings. We can’t do all of this virtually, but we’ve learned in the pandemic what can work well and what can potentially be used toward our benefits,” he said.
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