Continuing professional development in Eswatini: Factors affecting medical practitioners’ participation

Abstract

Background: The availability of continuing professional development (CPD) activities does not necessarily translate into good participation by health practitioners. Reasons for low participation include time constraints, cost of some activities, irrelevant material and lack of access. This study aimed to explore the views of medical practitioners’ working in Eswatini regarding the factors that affect their participation in CPD programmes.Methods: A qualitative study using seven in-depth semi-structured interviews and three focus group discussions (FGDs) of medical officers working in the public heath sectors in Eswatini was conducted between November 2020 and February 2021. Open-ended questions were used to explore factors that both motivate and demotivate medical officers participation in CPD activities. The interviews and FGDs were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, the qualitative data were analysed using the thematic approach.Results: The emerging motivating themes described by the participants were: (1) professional responsibility and (2) personal interest and learning need. Whilst the demotivating factors were: (1) non-relevance to clinical practice, (2) cost of participation, (3) lack of reward, and (4) no recognition for staying up-to-date.Conclusion: The motivating factors are associated with deep learning and linked well with the principles of adult learning. The demotivating factors found were in keeping with findings from other studies in a variety of countries. It is important for the Medical Council and CPD organisers to be aware of the different motivations and de-motivations for practitioners to engage in CPD to enable them to plan and implement their programmes effectively.

Developing a CPD model for Eswatini—a participatory action research study

“…7. The CPD model should also be guided by varied sources of performance and outcome data, with a view of using these to improve on itself [4,23,24]. 8.…”

“…Eswatini is a small southern African country with a population of around 1.172 million people [3]. It has around 336 registered general medical practitioners, the majority of whom are working in the public service in one any one of the six government hospitals, two mission hospitals or five health centers [4,5]. There is a growing private sector, but it caters for a minority of the population.…”

Developing a CPD model for Eswatini- A Participatory Action Research study.

“…7. The CPD model should also be guided by varied sources of performance and outcome data, with a view of using these to improve on itself (3,15,16).…”

“…They are a relevant consideration for inclusion in the CPD model as they can be made to be appropriate to the duties of particular practitioners and they can potentially be useful in improving patient outcomes by ensuring a standard level of performing certain task is maintained (31). They also provide documented evidence of competence to perform a speci c activity which has been shown to be a motivation factor for engaging in CPD (3,17). Indeed EPAs should be suitable for credentialing, that is establishing the level of for a professional and assessing their legitimacy(18).…”

“…Eswatini has around 336 registered general medical practitioners, the majority of whom are working in the public service (3,4). There is currently no medical school in Eswatini, and all doctors practicing in the country trained in many different countries.…”