College of Dentistry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
J Dent Educ. 2024 Mar;88(3):269-277. doi: 10.1002/jdd.13425. Epub 2023 Nov 22.
This research explores continuing professional development (CPD) requirements for dental regulatory/licensing authorities located in the USA/Canada and their preferences toward different learning and assessment strategies.
Data were first retrieved through an environmental scan of CPD requirements posted on the websites for the 62 regulatory/licensing authorities located in the USA/Canada. Subsequently, an electronic questionnaire was distributed to the appropriate contact at each regulatory authority to capture additional data related to knowledge and preferences.
The environmental scan revealed that Canadian CPD programs had a significantly higher (p < 0.05) average of required CPD hours (26.67 ± 5.44) when compared to the USA (18.20 ± 4.23). For the survey component, 35 completed responses were received (response rate 56%). A total of 54% of respondents selected from a Likert scale that they "rarely" incorporate formative assessments, and 68% only "sometimes" or "often" incorporate summative assessments into their CPD programs. Additionally, 63% of respondents "never" incorporated predisposing activities, and 57% "never" incorporated reinforcing activities. It was perceived that renewal fees were insufficient to finance ongoing CPD costs (60%) and external industry sponsorships were required to sustain programs (43%). Respondents indicated that there is an insufficient number of evidence-based courses available in a variety of dental disciplines.
Formative and summative assessments and predisposing and reinforcing learning activities were not viewed as essential tools in CPD programs. Costs and human resources could be possible obstacles in incorporating learning activities and assessments. Future studies can build from the initial results of this study to improve the quality of learning in CPD programs.
本研究探讨了位于美国/加拿大的牙科监管/许可机构的持续专业发展（CPD）要求及其对不同学习和评估策略的偏好。
首先通过对美国/加拿大 62 个监管/许可机构网站上发布的 CPD 要求进行环境扫描来获取数据。随后，向每个监管机构的相关联系人分发了电子问卷，以获取与知识和偏好相关的其他数据。
环境扫描显示，与美国（18.20 ± 4.23）相比，加拿大的 CPD 计划要求的平均 CPD 时间（26.67 ± 5.44）显著更高（p < 0.05）。在调查部分，共收到 35 份完整回复（回复率为 56%）。共有 54%的受访者在李克特量表上选择“很少”采用形成性评估，而 68%的受访者仅“有时”或“经常”将总结性评估纳入其 CPD 计划。此外，63%的受访者“从不”采用倾向性活动，而 57%的受访者“从不”采用强化活动。60%的受访者认为更新费不足以支付持续的 CPD 费用，而 43%的受访者认为需要外部行业赞助来维持项目。受访者表示，各种牙科学科的循证课程数量不足。
形成性和总结性评估以及倾向性和强化学习活动被认为不是 CPD 计划的必要工具。成本和人力资源可能是纳入学习活动和评估的障碍。未来的研究可以在本研究的初步结果的基础上进行，以提高 CPD 计划的学习质量。
