Abstract
BackgroundCPD educators and CME providers would benefit from further insight regarding barriers and supports in obtaining CME, including sources of information about CME. To address this gap, we sought to explore challenges that clinicians encounter as they seek CME, and time and monetary support allotted for CME.MethodsIn August 2018, we surveyed licensed US clinicians (physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants), sampling 100 respondents each of family medicine physicians, internal medicine and hospitalist physicians, medicine specialist physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants (1895 invited, 500 [26.3%] responded). The Internet-based questionnaire addressed barriers to obtaining CME, sources of CME information, and time and monetary support for CME.ResultsThe most often-selected barriers were expense (338/500 [68%]) and travel time (N = 286 [57%]). The source of information about CME activities most commonly selected was online search (N = 348 [70%]). Direct email, professional associations, direct mail, and journals were also each selected by > 50% of respondents. Most respondents reported receiving 1–6 days (N = 301 [60%]) and $1000–$5000 (n = 263 [53%]) per year to use in CME activities. Most (> 70%) also reported no change in time or monetary support over the past 24 months. We found few significant differences in responses across clinician type or age group. In open-ended responses, respondents suggested eight ways to enhance CME: optimize location, reduce cost, publicize effectively, offer more courses and content, allow flexibility, ensure accessibility, make content clinically relevant, and encourage application.ConclusionsClinicians report that expense and travel time are the biggest barriers to CME. Time and money support is limited, and not increasing. Online search and email are the most frequently-used sources of information about CME. Those who organize and market CME should explore options that reduce barriers of time and money, and creatively use online tools to publicize new offerings.
Highlights
continuous professional development (CPD) educators and Continuing medical education (CME) providers would benefit from further insight regarding barriers and supports in obtaining CME, including sources of information about CME
All health professionals engage to varying degrees in continuous professional development (CPD) – a lifelong process of “improv[ing their] professional knowledge, skills, or performance.”
Most studies examining barriers to CPD are over a decade old [10,11,12,13,14], and given changes in both clinical practice and CME infrastructure their findings may be of limited contemporary relevance
Summary
CPD educators and CME providers would benefit from further insight regarding barriers and supports in obtaining CME, including sources of information about CME To address this gap, we sought to explore challenges that clinicians encounter as they seek CME, and time and monetary support allotted for CME. A recent survey of US physicians found that time and money were the top barriers [1, 15], but this study did not involve nonphysicians nor did it explore how clinicians’ CME and CPD activities are financially supported Another recent survey of physicians, general practice nurses, and pharmacists in Scotland [16] reported the availability of protected time for CME, but did not address other potential barriers or supports. Prior surveys suggest that finding relevant CPD is a barrier [1, 10, 17, 18], we are not aware of any contemporary research contrasting sources by which clinicians learn about CME opportunities
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