Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare the continuing medical education (CME) activities of family physicians in the province of Quebec with more than 25 years in practice with those with less than 25 years in practice. DESIGN: Mailed questionnaire survey. SETTING: Family practices in the province of Quebec. PARTICIPANTS: All physicians (n = 722) with more than 25 years in practice (expressed as older) and a matched sample of 721 physicians with less than 25 years in practice (expressed as younger). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Types of CME activities and time spent on them, participant characteristics. RESULTS: Older physicians spent more time in individual CME activities than younger ones (21 hours vs 18 hours monthly). Younger physicians, however, spent more time in group CME activities than older ones did (100 hours vs 80 hours yearly). Excluding physicians who devoted no time to CME activities, only two activities differentiated between the two groups: older physicians spent more time than their younger colleagues reading and listening to audiocassettes. CONCLUSIONS: Older physicians maintained their clinical competence by participating in different CME activities from younger physicians. They participated in as many CME activities as their younger colleagues.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Barham P. M., Benseman J. Participation in continuing medical education of general practitioners in New Zealand. J Med Educ. 1984 Aug;59(8):649–654. doi: 10.1097/00001888-198408000-00005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Barnard A., Kamien M. The reading habits of RACGP Training Program doctors. Aust Fam Physician. 1994 Sep;23(9):1752-6, 1758, 1760. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Craig J. Perceived learning needs of family physicians in british columbia. Can Fam Physician. 1990 Feb;36:262–265. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Curry L., Putnam R. W. Continuing medical education in Maritime Canada: the methods physicians use, would prefer and find most effective. Can Med Assoc J. 1981 Mar 1;124(5):563–566. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Difford F., Hughes R. C. General practitioners' attendance at courses accredited for the postgraduate education allowance. Br J Gen Pract. 1992 Jul;42(360):290–293. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lockyer J. M., Jennett P., Parboosingh J. T., McDougall G. M., Bryan G. L. Family physician registration at locally produced short courses. CMAJ. 1988 Dec 15;139(12):1153–1155. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lévy D., Doan B. D. Une décennie de formation médicale permanente en France (1983-1993). Cah Sociol Demogr Med. 1993 Jul-Sep;33(3):217–248. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Murray T. S., Dyker G. S., Campbell L. M. Characteristics of general practitioners who are high attenders at educational meetings. Br J Gen Pract. 1992 Apr;42(357):157–159. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Owen P. A., Allery L. A., Harding K. G., Hayes T. M. General practitioners' continuing medical education within and outside their practice. BMJ. 1989 Jul 22;299(6693):238–240. doi: 10.1136/bmj.299.6693.238. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Piterman L. GPs as learners. Med J Aust. 1991 Sep 2;155(5):318–322. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1991.tb142290.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pitts J., Vincent S. General practitioners' reasons for not attending a higher professional education course. Br J Gen Pract. 1994 Jun;44(383):271–273. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Richards R. K., Cohen R. M. Why physicians attend traditional CME programs. J Med Educ. 1980 Jun;55(6):479–485. doi: 10.1097/00001888-198006000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]