ePortfolios, based on models of reflective practice, are viewed as important tools in facilitating and supporting lifelong learning across the medical education continuum. MAINPORT, the ePortfolio designed by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, supports the continuing professional development (CPD) and lifelong learning of specialist physicians practicing in Canada by providing tools to develop CPD plans, set and track progress of established learning goals, document and reflect on learning activities, and create the foundation for physicians to manage their learning. In this article, the authors summarize the key design principles of the Royal College's ePortfolio: learner-centered; interoperable; ease of access. The current core functionality as well as future planned functionality for MAINPORT are described under three domains: recording and reflecting on completed CPD activities; managing learning in practice; accessing learning resources and programs. The future MAINPORT will evolve to become a foundational tool to support the shift towards competency-based medical education across the continuum of medical education; from residency to retirement. MAINPORT will facilitate the ability of physicians to demonstrate their expertise over time and how their learning has enabled improvements to their practice in contributing to improved health outcomes for patients.
Several of the world's accreditation systems for continuing professional development (CPD) are evolving to encourage continuous improvement in the competence and performance of health care providers and in the organizations in which they provide patient care. Clinicians learn best when they can to choose from a diverse array of activities and formats that are relevant and meet their needs. Since choice and diversity are key to meeting clinicians' needs, several CPD accreditors have been engaging in deliberate, concerted efforts to identify a core set of principles that can serve as the basis for determining substantive equivalency between CPD accreditation systems. Substantive equivalency is intended to support the mobility of learners, allowing them to access accredited learning activities that are recognized by various CPD accreditation systems in a manner that maximizes the value of those accreditation systems, while minimizing the burden of adhering to their requirements. In this article, we propose a set of core principles that all CPD accreditation systems must express as the basis for determining substantive equivalency between CPD accreditation systems. The article will illustrate how five CPD accreditation systems (two in the USA, two in Canada, and one in Qatar), differing in focus (activity-based versus provider-based), context, and culture, express these values and metrics, and concludes by identifying the value of substantive equivalency for learners, medical regulators, and CPD accreditation systems.
The Cologne Consensus Conference 2015 has focused on “Providers in accredited CME[continuing medical education]/CPD [continuing professional development]”. As an outcome of the CCC 2015, the authors of this paper, who were part of the faculty, propose a contemporary definition of the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders involved in the different stages of planning, delivery and evaluation of CME/CPD.
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