Department of Education Services, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
BMC Med Educ. 2024 Jun 6;24(1):631. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05498-9.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic catalysed a monumental shift in the field of continuing professional development (CPD). Prior to this, the majority of CPD group-learning activities were offered in-person. However, the pandemic forced the field to quickly pivot towards more novel methods of learning and teaching in view of social distancing regulations. The purpose of this study was to obtain the perspectives of CPD leaders on the impact of the pandemic to elucidate trends, innovations, and potential future directions in the field.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted between April-September 2022 with 23 CPD leaders from Canada and the USA. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and de-identified. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data and generate themes.
Participants characterised COVID-19 as compelling widespread change in the field of CPD. From the interviews, researchers generated six themes pertaining to the impact of the pandemic on CPD: (1) necessity is the mother of innovation, (2) the paradox of flexibility and accessibility, (3) we're not going to unring the bell, (4) reimagining design and delivery, (5) creating an evaluative culture, and (6) a lifeline in times of turmoil.
This qualitative study discusses the impact of the pandemic on the field of CPD and leaders' vision for the future. Despite innumerable challenges, the pandemic created opportunities to reform design and delivery. Our findings indicate a necessity to maintain an innovative culture to best support learners, to improve the healthcare system, and to prepare for future emergencies.
COVID-19 大流行的爆发促使继续专业发展（CPD）领域发生了重大转变。在此之前，大多数 CPD 小组学习活动都是亲自进行的。然而，由于社交距离规定，大流行迫使该领域迅速转向更新颖的学习和教学方法。本研究的目的是了解 CPD 领导者对大流行的影响，以阐明该领域的趋势、创新和潜在的未来方向。
2022 年 4 月至 9 月，对来自加拿大和美国的 23 名 CPD 领导者进行了半结构化访谈。访谈进行了录音、转录和去识别。采用主题分析方法对数据进行分析并生成主题。
参与者将 COVID-19 描述为 CPD 领域广泛变革的推动力。通过访谈，研究人员生成了六个与大流行对 CPD 的影响相关的主题：（1）创新是必要的，（2）灵活性和可及性的悖论，（3）我们无法收回成命，（4）重新设计和交付，（5）创建评估文化，以及（6）动荡时期的生命线。
这项定性研究讨论了大流行对 CPD 领域的影响以及领导者对未来的展望。尽管面临无数挑战，但大流行为改革设计和交付创造了机会。我们的研究结果表明，有必要保持创新文化，以最好地支持学习者，改善医疗保健系统，并为未来的紧急情况做好准备。
