E-LEARNING AND CPD
CPD as a key component of revalidation. Now that the guidance is published, we are starting to develop a more facilitative role in CPD. In broad terms, this means we are using our position as regulator, and using the data that we hold, to provide better information about trends in medical practice and professionalism that may be relevant to doctors’ reflections on their CPD needs.
The place where individual developmental needs are more usefully discussed is in the workplace, in light of the best practice for the specialty described by the relevant college, faculty or specialist association.
What our guidance does is provide the framework within which those discussions about CPD can take place and the key element is reflection.
‘Good Medical Practice’ requires doctors to reflect regularly on their standards of medical
practice.
There is evidence that reflection drives change in performance and is key to effective CPD.1 The difficulty, however, is knowing whether your CPD is effective.
We acknowledge that it is often not possible to measure directly the effect of a particular CPD activity on patient outcomes. But this need not diminish the value of the activity. The point is to identify CPD activities aimed at improving the quality of care provided for patients and the public.
To help us better understand the impact of CPD activity, and supplement the new guidance, we have commissioned research into how participation in CPD affects doctors’ practice and performance and contributes to improvements in patient or service outcomes. The research will also try to identify examples of innovative practice in CPD that have resulted in demonstrable changes in the way care is provided. The results are expected later in the summer.
Our facilitative role in CPD
Our new guidance and research reflects our expanding interest in the subject of doctors’
Until recently the GMC held very little information about either individual doctors or trends across the profession as a whole. That is changing. For example, research shows that doctors pose a higher regulatory risk at key transition points in their careers. International
Two studies we commissioned on prescribing errors2
demonstrated, in the different
environments of primary and secondary care, that human factors (that is, the interaction between doctor and system), rather than educational deficits as such, are the principal cause of prescribing errors. Understanding that, and reflecting on how to address it within a doctor’s own practice, is potentially enormously powerful.
All this does not mean that we have plans to step in and become a provider of CPD. In most cases it will be others, such as the medical royal colleges’ faculties and specialist associations, who have the relevant expertise to do this. Nor does it mean we will be specifying certain CPD activities for doctors to undertake. But, particularly for those doctors who are not affiliated with particular professional organisations, we will be able to highlight issues so that they can reflect on their individual CPD needs with their appraisers. The new guidance will help them to do that.
The importance of lifelong learning
Continuous advances in medical science mean that all doctors need to ensure they are always at the leading edge of medical practice.
Lifelong
medical graduates are more likely to face challenges in making the cultural transitions necessary for medical practice. The GMC has
“The new guidance tries to move the CPD story on from the idea that professional development is all about attending courses and conferences, and accumulating hours and credits.”
a role in promoting the sort of good practice which will help doctors make these transitions and highlighting areas where individuals may need to reflect on their own practice and learning needs.
learning
is the key to ensuring that doctors keep up to date and this new guidance will support doctors in their efforts to achieve this and in their preparation for revalidation. We hope they will use it to reflect on how their learning and development improves the quality of care they provide for patients and for the service in which they work.
References 1 Moon JA (1999) Reflection in learning and professional development: theory and practice, Abingdon, Oxon, Routledge Farmer.
2 Visit
http://tinyurl.com/ GMC-CPD1 or http://tinyurl. com/GMC-CPD2 or http://
tinyurl.com/GMC-CPD3
Prof Sir Peter Rubin
FOR MORE INFORMATION
www.tinyurl.com/GMC-CPD
national health executive Jul/Aug 12 | 29
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