Can combined online and face‐to‐face continuing medical education improve the clinical knowledge and skills of family doctors in Vietnam? A cluster randomised controlled trial

Abstract

objectives To assess the effectiveness of a combined online and face-to-face continuing medical education (CME) programme, for improvement in clinical knowledge and skills of family doctors, in comparison with a control group; and to explore the self-reported satisfaction, competencies and confidence of those in the intervention group.methods We used a cluster randomised controlled trial, with pre-and post-testing, and a feedback survey at the end of the 18-month CME programme. The measurements consisted of a multiplechoice test, an objective structured clinical examination test and an anonymously self-administered questionnaire.results There were 58 family doctors from four provinces in the intervention group and 32 doctors from three provinces in control group, both in the Mekong Delta region in Vietnam. The mean age of participants was 47.8 years, and the female/male ratio was 1/2.9. After training, the intervention group had significantly higher scores on overall knowledge (mean difference = 1.4, 95% CI 1.0-1.86, P < 0.001; Cohen's d 1.36, Pearson's r 0.53), in four of the five education modules: peptic disorders, diabetes, hypertension and bone-muscle-joint diseases (Pearson's r 0.56, 0.56, 0.34 and 0.4, respectively), and in problem-solving skills (Pearson's r 0.27). Self-reports showed a positive learning attitude, strong interest and improved confidence and competency among doctors in the intervention group.conclusions A combined online and face-to-face CME programme proved applicable and effective for improving the clinical knowledge and problem-solving skills of family doctors in Vietnam.keywords family medicine, knowledge, skill, cluster randomised controlled trial, internet-based CME, Vietnam Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals) 388

Continuing professional development in the last decade – A scoping review

“…Maintaining a portfolio/ e-portfolios -Typically for assessment and involving learners logging their experiences at the most elementary level, but with room to include elements of personal reflection about those experiences at a higher level (Haines et al, 2013) -Negative sentiment towards portfolios among learners -Acceptable if are tied to recertification, revalidation, careerlong updating and CME credit (Haines et al, 2013) ix. Meetings/symposia/seminars -Traditional CME offering (Thai et al, 2020) -May have combination of a didactic lecture, a case discussion and incorporate frequent question and answer sessions (Drexel et al, 2011) -Widespread familiarity with method making it preferable -May not be as effective as other methods (Drexel et al, 2011) x. Mentoring -Can be an adjunct to distance CME.…”

Current Situation and Demand for Continuing Medical Education (CME) for Obstetricians and Gynecologists

“…19 With the continuous enrichment of educational informatization means, the use of online teaching platform to carry out personal self-study has become the first choice for many medical workers. 20 Chinese medical workers are affected by occupational environment, stress, responsibility and other social factors, 11 with a full load or even overload work, resulting in difficulty for full-time study. The results of our survey showed that the favorite training form and way for obtaining resources among doctors with different working years was online, and only 4.70% chose the form of on-site conference presentations.…”