Attitudes, Perceived Benefits, and Experiences of Engagement With Professional Competence Schemes for Doctors in Ireland: Findings From a National Survey

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to assess the attitudes, perceived benefits, and experiences of engaging with a formal system of continuing professional development (CPD) in the form of Professional Competence Schemes (PCSs) among doctors in Ireland.

Methods: The study utilized an anonymous online survey measure with both open-ended and Likert-scale questions. The measure examined general attitudes, perceived impact, and experiences of engagement with PCS. This study examines the scale items only. All 4350 doctors enrolled on a PCS were invited through email to complete the survey. One thousand four hundred eight doctors participated, indicating a response rate of 32%.

Results: Descriptive and inferential statistics (analysis of variance and Kruskal-Wallis) were performed on the scale items using IBM SPSS statistics, with group comparisons examining differences in responses according to gender and current primary role. A majority (80%) of respondents had positive overall attitudes to PCS. Most participants reported that CPD positively impacts their practice across a wide range of areas, particularly patient care. Most participants reported positive experiences engaging with PCS, although a minority reported difficulties, including lack of time to participate in and record CPD activities, difficulties obtaining evidence of participation, and feeling that their CPD activities are not easily captured by the PCS system. Significant differences in responses according to role were found for overall attitudes (confidence interval = 95%, P < .00) and overall experiences of PCS (confidence interval = 95%, P < .00) with nonconsultant hospital doctors emerging as a particularly vulnerable group with less positive attitudes and experiences.

Discussion: Across the board overall attitudes, perceived impact and experiences of PCS were positive, and indicate that doctors feel that PCS is a valuable and beneficial activity. However, a minority of respondents reported experiencing difficulties with engagement, and these areas of difficulty represent targets for future improvement.