Supporting lifelong learning for physicians: Continuing professional development and knowledge translation
Supporting lifelong learning for physicians: Continuing professional development and knowledge translation Issue: BCMJ, Vol. 50, No. 7, September 2008, page(s) Supporting lifelong learning for physicians: Continuing professional development and knowledge translation Articles Kendall Ho, MD, FRCPC, Luke Ferdinands, Sandra Jarvis-Selinger, PhD, Robert Bluman, MD, CCFP, FCFP, David F. Hardwick, MD, FRCPC Good educational programming and strong partnerships are needed when charting a course for excellence in physician learning and patient health outcomes.
To provide high-quality evidence-based medical care to patients, our health system and our physicians must keep up with the latest knowledge and skills. Continuing professional development initiatives using both conventional and innovative electronic information technologies can help meet physicians’ educational needs and translate exemplars of care into routine health practices. Through educational programming, research, e-health, strong partnerships with like-minded organizations, and effective knowledge management and translation, the Division of Continuing Professional Development and Knowledge Translation at the University of British Columbia strives to support the excellence of our health system and practising health professionals, and to contribute to optimal patient outcomes in our province and beyond.
In an era when medical evidence and knowledge are generated at unprecedented speed, health professionals may find it difficult to stay up to date, not just with the burgeoning amount of research, but also with the ever-changing technologies in health care.
The demands of a busy practice and personal commitments combined with the daunting task of learning how to use new equipment and software can be overwhelming.
The Division of Continuing Professional Development and Knowledge Translation (CPD-KT) at the University of British Columbia offers physicians across BC assistance in the timely uptake of knowledge and skills in a form that suits their busy schedules and takes advantage of new educational technology. CPD-KT also provides training and education on the transformation of the health system through knowledge of evidence-based patient care.
The term continuing professional development (CPD) encompasses traditional continuing medical education (CME) but also includes a broader range of relevant areas such as practice management, interprofessional patient-centred care, and teaching.
CPD and education programming
UBC develops and delivers roughly 500 hours of wide-ranging accredited educational events each year, and conducts large-scale needs assessments to shape overall programming in an effort to meet the broad learning needs and development goals of practising physicians in BC.
Conferences such as Be Smart and Live Well with Diabetes, Hot Topics in Psychiatry for Primary Care, Dermatology Review for Family Practitioners, and the Paediatric Emergency Medicine Update provide a forum for the introduction of new information, techniques, and training, while bringing the community of health professionals together.
CPD-KT also offers videoconferences, small group workshops, Internet-based sessions and handheld programs to assist clinicians with their clinical—and nonclinical—practice improvement. Courses and programs such as the ongoing CME on the Run series and the Rural Outreach Videoconference Program use interactive methods to deliver education and training.
A new educational support program to assist the integration of temporarily licensed international medical graduates is being developed using web-based, live conference, and communities-of-practice learning technologies. A number of round table discussions and presentations are available for viewing online, free of charge.
Acting in partnership with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the College of Family Physicians of Canada, CPD-KT develops and implements standards for accredited education and professional development. In working with many educational providers, the application of these standards helps ensure programs delivered in BC reflect the highest ethical standards and represent the best practices in adult education.
