Continuing Professional Development In Health Sector

Abstract

Programs of continuing education (CE) for health personnel represent crucial challenges for the development of health systems, which are relevant and efficient. Continuing professional development (CPO) is a more complete definition, including medical, managerial, social and personal skills, leading to improvement of the health status and quality of life of the people. Review of the literature based on evidence gives clear guidance for CPO internationally. During the last two decades, the need for all health personnel to have highly developed learning skills in a society racing with change is evident. th'e health personnel are forced to continue their learning beyond graduation. Improvement in CE systems has resulted in the formation of CPO in many developed countries. A few of the developing countries implement these programs on a systematic basis, but a national program for continuing education is lacking in nearly all of them. In some of the countries scientific associations run CE programs; in many, CE programs are available for only a limited number of medical specialties and in other, on-the-job training is available for health personnel on an ad-hoc basis.The crucial knowledge gaps between current HR practice and the evidence based CE include:Based on the available evidence it is recommended to start a standardized information gathering system for CPO and CE activities in all the countries of the world and to publish the results annually (with the same format as used in vaccination coverage reports). Holding regional workshops and seminars on the significance of CPO for health policy­ makers and administrators of different countries can result in widespread application of CPO activities all over the world. Research studies, which have been performed on the efficacy of CE, should be extended on a wider scope and the results should be used in devising principles of an effective CPO programs. Application of novel methods of teaching and active learning techniques is recommended. Globalization of CPO can be facilitated through adoption of CE models from countries, which have been successful in the implementation of any of the ten principles of an active CE system.