Abstract
This study investigates the engagement of healthcare professionals in continuing professional development in public secondary hospitals in Lagos State, Nigeria. A survey research design and a multistage sampling technique were adopted for the study. The sample consisted of 356 healthcare professionals (112 physicians, 32 pharmacists and 212 nurses). The data were collected using a self-developed structured questionnaire. The questions were built based on the literature review with modified questions adapted from widely used the questionnaires on hospital survey on patient safety, ambulatory and community pharmacy, nursing safety practices and CPD professional and skill competency and World Health Organization Regional Guidelines for Continuing Medical Education. Healthcare professionals in adult general outpatient departments were only included in the study. Findings revealed that physicians engagement in informal CPD (conferences, seminars, in-service training) is (M = 3.09), and formal CPD (conduct of research, publications or peer journal review) (M = 2.11). Pharmacists engagement in informal CPD is (M = 3.10) and formal CPD (M =1.89), Nurses’ engagement in informal CPD is (M =2.30) and CPD (M = 1.78). These evidence indicates that the respondents tend to lean more on less time-demanding and work-based capacity building approach, than they engaged mostly in informal CPD activities than they engaged in a methodical educational and professional advanced method of capacity building. The study recommends improved Government funding for training, policy improvement on organizational support and working conditions for study leave opportunities, and aligning the metrics of evaluating and scoring CPD engagement with the need assessment gaps in healthcare system in renewing practicing license of healthcare professionals.
 Keywords: Capacity building, Healthcare professionals Public healthcare service, Health workers training
Highlights
Continuing professional development (CPD) is considered as crucial to the medical career development
CPD is widely accepted as a standard method of training and retraining healthcare professionals to maximize their potentials for best practice
According to World Health Organization (2016), successful delivery of quality and safe health service is determined by having the right quantity and quality mix of healthcare professionals in hospitals
Summary
Continuing professional development (CPD) is considered as crucial to the medical career development. It is important that healthcare professionals take advantage of CPD training opportunities to improve on their knowledge and skills and maintain quality improvement in patient care. Prevent incidences of errors or mistakes that may predispose patients to harm or injury (American Nurses Association, 2015) As it is in every profession, the medical science and practice is very dynamic and entails continuing learning to gain contemporary knowledge throughout medical career life. Healthcare professionals need advanced trainings to gain current knowledge of practices and methods in medical care. It is needful to emphasize that healthcare professional’s should develop individual professional development plan (PDP). The personal CPD plan should be based on training objectives of PDP in line with identified knowledge and skill gaps. CPD constitute the channel through which targets set by professional development plan is achieved (Cottrell, 2010)
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