Factors Enabling and Constraining CPD compliance amongst South African Dental Technicians practising in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Abstract

Health professions’ regulatory bodies are experiencing numerous challenges with compliance to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements. The South African Dental Technicians Council (SADTC) stipulates that dental technicians be CPD compliant and accrue an annual minimum of 30 Continuing Educational Units (CEUs). The SADTC acknowledged that there is a lack of compliance with CPD by dental technicians. The study aimed to elicit dental technicians’ opinions on, and experiences of, continuing professional development. The study utilized a descriptive cross-sectional research design within a quantitative framework. A purposeful sampling technique was used to select and invite registered dental technicians (n=103) from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).Dental technicians (n =103) in KZN were invited to participate in the study by completing an online questionnaire, which elicited their experiences with regards to meeting their CPD requirements. Dental technicians preferred formal, employer-funded CPD activities that are conducted during working hours as compared to online CPD activities. Dental technicians acknowledged that mandatory CPD is a costly requirement. They further recognised that they were unaware of non-attendance based CPD activities as methods of accruing CEUs. The study revealed that dental technicians in KZN experience challenges in being CPD compliant.