Abstract
BackgroundParticipation in continuing professional development (CPD) is a professional and regulatory expectation of general practitioners (GPs). Traditionally, CPD activity was undertaken face-to-face in educational settings, but internet based formats have found increasing favour. The need for doctors to use the internet for service and educational purposes is growing, particularly in support of specialty training and appraisal. We aimed to determine how GPs in Scotland utilise online resources in support of their CPD. This involved identifying which resources are used and how frequently, along with their preferences as to how and why they access these resources.MethodsA cross sectional study was undertaken using an online questionnaire to survey general practitioners across Scotland. Data were subjected to descriptive analysis and differences in attitudinal responses between groups and Fischer's exact tests were calculated.ResultsThree hundred and eighty-three GP responses were received, with the majority being female (n = 232, 60.6 %) and GP partners (n = 236, 61.6 %). The majority used the internet on three or more working days per week or more frequently (n = 361, 94.3 %) with the three most common reasons being to obtain information for a patient (n = 358, 93.5 %), answering a clinical question (n = 357, 93.2 %) and CPD purposes (n = 308, 80.4 %). Of 37 online resources used by respondents, the top five were SIGN Guidelines (n = 303, 79.3 %), BMJ Learning (n = 279, 73.0 %), NICE Guidelines (n = 255, 66.8 %), GP Notebook (n = 243, 63.6 %) and Google (n = 234, 61.3 %). Low use of social media such as Facebook (n = 11, 2.9 %) and Twitter (n = 11, 2.9 %) was reported for CPD. A majority agreed that 'reading information online' (95.0 %) and 'completing online learning modules' (87.4 %) were the most valued online activities. Slow internet connections (n = 240, 62.7 %), website access restrictions (n = 177, 46.2 %) and difficulties logging into online CPD resources (n = 163, 42.6 %) were reported barriers. Significant response differences (P < 0.05) were found between groups based on high volume online usage, gender and age.ConclusionsThe majority of respondents had positive attitudes to using online resources for continuing professional development, and a preference for evidence-based and peer reviewed online resources. Information technology (IT) difficulties remain a barrier to effective utilisation. The findings have implications for future planning and design of online resources and IT infrastructure.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12909-016-0540-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Participation in continuing professional development (CPD) is a professional and regulatory expectation of general practitioners (GPs)
Respondents were more likely to be a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) (n = 248, 64.8 %), female (n = 232, 60.6 %) and to be a GP Partner (n = 236, 61.6 %)
Internet usage and reasons for use The majority of GPs reported that they used the internet for work related purposes every day (n = 273, 71.3 %), with 94.3 % (n = 361) indicating that they use the internet most days or every day
Summary
Participation in continuing professional development (CPD) is a professional and regulatory expectation of general practitioners (GPs). We aimed to determine how GPs in Scotland utilise online resources in support of their CPD This involved identifying which resources are used and how frequently, along with their preferences as to how and why they access these resources. Participation in continuing professional development (CPD) has long been part of the professional expectations of medical doctors, including general practitioners (GPs). The CPD process is underpinned by the values of adult learning which should be self directed based on learning needs or development goals and be relevant to frequently encountered tasks [2]. It is vitally important for medical professionals to continuously refresh, update and improve their clinical knowledge. A more recent study has shown that global total scientific publication, including medical publication, continues to grow at a rate of 3 % annually from 1980 to 2012 [4]
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