Scientific Poster Session II - Original Research

Abstract

Due to the constantly evolving technology, treatment guidelines, and steady stream of published research, continuing education is essential to keep healthcare professionals (HCPs) informed. While HCPs have opportunities to improve their clinical knowledge in practice, participating in multimodal continuing professional development (CPD) offers flexibility in consumption of new educational materials. Benefits and barriers exist for all modalities; however, understanding of how HCPs prefer to consume CPD following the COVID-19 pandemic is limited.

Research Question or Hypothesis:

Do HCPs prefer in person, virtual, or a hybrid delivery format when participating in CPD?

Study Design:

prospective, survey-based research

Methods:

In June 2022, the Clinical Education Alliance (CEA) database was surveyed to gauge learner preferences for participating in CPD content. Learners were asked to rank the following CPD formats: live in-person, live online, on-demand online, or a combination of formats, in order of preference. Respondents also provided key demographics including their healthcare profession, practice setting, preference for learning format and primary specialties. Preferred CPD format was compared across learner demographics. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze differences in the data.

Results:

A total of 1,212 HCPs responded to at least one question in the survey. For respondents offering practice specialty (n= 909), 24% (n= 223) identified as generalist while 76 % (n= 686) identified practicing as a specialist. Overall, HCP prioritized educational content delivery in the following order: live in-person, followed by live online, on demand online, and finally a hybrid of all formats for their CPD. The primary reasons for this preferred format included dedicated time to focus, increased engagement, and networking opportunities with colleagues.

Conclusion:

These findings indicated the importance of live in person interactions and opportunity for engagement during CPD activities. Consideration for these HCP preferences will help engage learners in CPD programs and HCPs in their preferred education delivery formats.

Presenting Author

Authors