| Conference motivations | Percentage % (and proportion) who agreed or strongly agreed** with each motivator | |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual format | In-person format | |
| to learn the latest scientific findings | 85.4 (N=864/1012) | 81.3 (N=584/718) |
| to learn the latest advancements in patient care | 78.2 (N=785/1004) | 76.6 (N=552/721) |
| to support my career development | 70.2 (N=711/1013) | 67.4 (N=480/712) |
| to meet experts and leaders in the field | 51.0 (N=515/1009) | 80.6 (N=580/720)* |
| to fulfil the requirements of professional certification bodies, such as attaining CPD/CME credits | 39.8 (N=402/1011) | 34.9 (N=250/716) |
| to improve my teaching skills | 37.7 (N=380/1008) | 39.3 (N=279/710) |
| to foster personal change | 36.0 (N=363/1008) | 42.6 (N=304/714) |
| to improve my practical clinical skills (e.g., online live bronchoscopy procedure) | 35.2 (N=356/1012) | 40.8 (N=292/715) |
| to support career developments of others | 32.8 (N=330/1007) | 30.1 (N=214/712) |
| to improve my communication skills | 32.6 (N=330/1012) | 40.0 (N=287/718) |
| to make/deepen professional connections | 30.8 (N=310/1008) | 69.3 (N=498/719)* |
| to foster change in my workplace | 30.8 (N=310/1005) | 40.9 (N=292/714) |
| to present my scientific/academic work | 27.5 (N=277/1006) | 54.6 (N=392/718)* |
| to socially interact and spend time with peers | 20.6 (N=208/1008) | 67.0 (N=480/716)* |
| to explore the city/region where the conference is held | N/A | 46.0 (N=329/715) |
* With a sample as large as that included in this study (N=1004 to 1013 for all virtual format questions and N=710 to 721 for all in-person format questions), even small differences appear statistically significant; as such, we concentrate on those differences that are substantial by highlighting motivations with more than a 20% difference between virtual and in-person conference attendance. ** Participants who selected 6 or 7 on Likert scales where 1 strongly disagrees and 7 strongly agree (indicating strong agreement with each factor being a motivator for conference attendance)
Int J Med Educ. 2025; 16:11-20; doi: 10.5116/ijme.676f.ce30