Thursday 28 November 2013

Quality Continued Professional Development For General Practitioners

By Marcus Barrington


Continued professional development is defined by the General Medical Council as "a continuing learning process that complements formal undergraduate and postgraduate education and training. " CPD not only helps GPs to maintain their current knowledge of medical care but it also seeks to improve their competency level and their skills in various periods of practice. General practice medical doctors from many different backgrounds can keep current in their clinical knowledge at times when they are not necessarily practicing medicine.

A comprehensive CPD curriculum should meet certain requirements to effectively help doctors to increase their knowledge and proven medical care.

General practitioners come from many diverse backgrounds and employment situations. CPD should meet the needs of doctors and journalists of their position, area of practice or medical specialty. This type of flexibility is critical.

GPs of many different backgrounds have different needs depending on their circumstances and learning styles. A continued professional development system really needs to cater to the different ways of learning including distance and e-learning, small groups, personal study and traditional lecture-based delivery.

The curriculum should not only provide for the needs of GPs who are employees but also for those who are self-employed. There should be a very curriculum that includes both core content related to standards of general practice as well as instruction for different medical specialties.

An exceptional continued professional development for general practitioners will not only support ongoing career development for doctors but will also seek to improve patient care and safety overall. Improved patient experience and better outcomes through the continued education and development of healthcare professionals is ultimately the primary goal of medical CPD. When doctors demonstrate that they are knowledgeable in current treatment practices and strategies patients generally are more confident and positive. This invariably leads to improved care for patients and better medical outcomes.

Top-notch medical CPD instruction provides general practitioners with the opportunity to learn new medical knowledge and skills as well as advanced treatment strategies that can help them to remain at the top of their game while at the same time impacting patient care in a positive way.




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