Predicting that continuing medical education (CME) will be mandatory for doctors within five years, this book traces CME's historical antecedents, analyzes the forces arrayed for and against it, and offers guidelines for its realistic use in a broad program of improving health care. An examination is made of: the evolution of undergraduate and graduate medical education; the introduction of licensing of doctors; the factors taken into account in judging the quality of medical services; and the issues in the organization, financing, and regulation of the health industry that affect physician attitudes, motivations, and behavior regarding CME. (Author)