“We don’t need no education” – A qualitative study of barriers to continuous medical education among Danish general practitioners

Abstract

Background: Continuous medical education is essential for the individual patient care, the society, and the wellbeing of the general practitioner. There has been research into the reasons for participation in continuous medical education, but little is known about the barriers to participation. To be able to tailor continuous medical education to general practitioners who are currently deselecting education, we require systematic knowledge of the barriers. Continuous medical education can stimulate job satisfaction, diminish burnout, and reinforce feelings of competence. Delayed retirement is seen among general practitioners who thrive in their job. General practitioners’ mental well-being may have positive implications for their patients and for healthcare expenditures. Educational activities show promise as a strategy to recruit and retain physicians in less attractive specialties. Despite renumeration and a comprehensive continuous education model not all Danish general practitioners participate in continuous medical education. Methods: 243 out of a total of 3440 Danish general practitioners did not apply for reimbursement for accredited continuous medical education in a two-year period. 10 general practitioners were selected for an interview regarding maximum variation in practice form, number of listed patients, seniority as a general practitioner, geography, gender, and age. All 10 selected general practitioners accepted to be interviewed. The interviews were analysed using Systematic Text Condensation. Results: Each of the 10 interviewed general practitioners mentions several barriers for participating in continuous education. The barriers fall into three main categories: · barriers related to the individual general practitioner · barriers related to the clinic · barriers related to the accredited continuous medical education offered Conclusions: Less than 7% of the Danish general practitioners did not participate in accredited remunerated continuous medical education. It corresponds to 400.000 listed patients having a general practitioner who does not participate in accredited continuous education. The barriers for participating fall into three main categories. A knowledge of the barriers for participating in accredited continuous medical education can be used to better target continuous medical education to some of the general practitioners who are currently deselecting continuous education.

Setting a direction for continuing professional development in anesthesiology: A synthesis of the outcome from an Utstein style meeting

“…A total of 24 participants were invited to participate, of which four were trainees, while the remaining participants represented the target group. This reflects the recommended number of participants in an Utstein style meeting (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30), ensuring breadth of opinion and expertise, while maintaining feasibility and effectivity. The names and affiliation of all participants are provided in supplementary file 1.…”

“…20 In the group work, both several barriers for the development of a CPD system emerged that, to some extent, aligned to those identified in a recent study of general practitioners' and related to the individual practitioner, their clinic and the accredited continuous medical education offered. 21 Building on the existing structure where CPD is grounded at the local, departmental level is meaningful, as it permits accommodation of needs of both the individual specialists and departments. In addition, it was evident that a national collaboration is necessary to make this fundamental move into a more structured CPD system.…”

Current Insights in The Barrier of Continuing Education for General Practitioners in China and Construction of A Novel Raining Model

“…For our general practice continuing education training course, we conducted a questionnaire survey and interview before the training to understand the students' needs and suggestions for training content and methods; After each class, students were required to evaluate the teaching content, teaching methods, and teaching effectiveness; After completing the entire training, conducted an OSCE assessment on the students. Established electronic records for the practice management and continuing education of all general practitioners, mainly including personal basic information; Education information such as medical college education, post graduation education, continuing education, and skill assessment; Provided regular feedback and reminders to general practitioners on the level of professional qualifications such as practice registration, regular assessment, professional title evaluation, and professional technical ability evaluation, assist them in completing continuing education for general practitioners, and improved the effectiveness of continuing education [22,23].…”