WORKSHOP:

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WORKSHOP
Continuing Professional Development Perspectives
from around the World
Helen A. Best
June 2003

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Continuing professional development
currently high on the political agenda in
Australia and New Zealand
Australia
- nature of the debate varies between the states
- Mandatory CPD, competition issues between
Providers of CPD
New Zealand
- Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Bill
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A survey was undertaken by email.
Country and Stakeholder Group
Response Pattern
Australian Dental Association, Central Office
Yes
Australian Dental Association, Branch Offices
5/6 (Responses from Vic, NSW, Qld, Tas, WA)
5/5 (Responses from Melb, Syd, Qld, UWA, Adel)
University based Dental schools
New Zealand Dental Association
Yes
University of Otago
Yes
The Dental Council of New Zealand
Yes
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The Provider of this type of option
Type of continuing professional development
Australia
New Zealand
Attendance at lectures
1
2
4
3
1
3
6
8
7
Hands on/Skills Training
1
2
3
1
3
6
8
7
Multimedia projects
1
2
3
Videoconferencing
5
7
Online Internet options
1
2
4
3
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Audio tapes of lectures
1
2
3
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Study groups
2
6
6
7
Journal clubs
1
6
7
Long courses
1
2
1
7
Other Official website chat room,
Keep-up-to-date-TV
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key
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Relationship of Continuing Professional
Development Activities to registration to practice
Is participation in CPD activities a current
requirement for registration as a dentist?
No
No
No
Is participation in CPD activities likely to
become a requirement for registration as a
dentist within 2 years?
Yes
No
Yes
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Accreditation of Continuing Professional
Development (CPD) Activities
Australia
Other states / territories
Victoria
Queens-land
Are CPD activities accredited?
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
ADA Vic Branch Uni. Melb.
ADA Queensland Branch
NZDA
The bodies responsible for the accreditation
Course Accred. Points weighted by time/type
Course Accred. Hours, not weighted
Course Accred. Points weighted by time/type
The system for the activities that are accredited
The types of activities that are accredited
Clinical and non-clinical
Dental Science, practice m., teaching skills
Dental courses
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Information on needs or demands for continuing
professional development activities
Best HA, Messer LB. Professional development for
dentists patterns and their implications. Aust
Dent J. 2001 46(4)289-97. Sambrook P, Thomson
D, Bastiaan R, Goss A. Continuing education the
1998 Survey of the Royal Australasian College of
Dental Surgeons. Aust Dent J. 2001
46(2)139-42. Tan AE. Survey of continuing
dental education attendance in Western Australia.
Aust Dent J. 1992 37(4)296-9.
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Information on needs or demands for continuing
professional development activities

• VIC
• In the last year (2001 2002) 174 applications
  for recognition of CPD activities were received
  from activity providers
• QLD
• Not sure if there are any statistics on this.
  There are a great many courses available and
  often these are not well attended due to the
  choice, timing etc, is a core of regular
  attendees for courses programmed by the
  University.
• TAS
• To the best of my knowledge there is no data
  available.
• WA
• Anecdotal evidence is provided to a Committee who
  use this in preparation of the coming years
  courses. It is many years since a survey was
  done on needs/wants of members!

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Information on needs or demands for continuing
professional development activities
New Zealand
Response from New Zealand Dental Association Has
an extensive data base on the CPD activity of all
NZDA members (95) dentists practising in NZ,
including hrs, course types, subject categories
etc is a private database Response from
University of Otago The Faculty has information
only on the demand for its own courses related to
registration to practise dentistry in NZ for
foreign-trained dentists.
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Information available on patterns of
participation in continuing professional
development activities
Australia
A core of regular attendees. Traditional events
very popular e.g., ADAQs Annual Clinic
Day Clinical topics generally well attended,
whenever held, in particular Endodontic courses
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Information available on patterns of
participation in continuing professional
development activities
New Zealand
Response from New Zealand Dental
Association Private data base Response from
University of Otago The faculty has no
information Dental Council of New Zealand In
2001, 71 of NZ dentists completed 20 hours or
more of continuing education in the previous year
(from DCNZ 2001 Workforce analysis)
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Evidence that continuing professional development
activities improves the performance of the dental
team
Australia

• Survey of Victorian general dental practitioners
  conducted by dental students in year 2000 showed
  high proportion of respondents who attend CDE
  courses believe these activities have a positive
  influence on their practice procedures and
  outcomes.
• Other response patterns
• Anecdotal or no evidence

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Evidence that continuing professional development
activities improves the performance of the dental
team
New Zealand

• Response from New Zealand Dental Association
• Not available
• Peer Review statistics, limited, that suggest
  dentists that receive complaints regarding the
  appropriateness/quality of Tx are more likely to
  be older and poor attendees at CPD courses
• Response from University of Otago
• Not aware of any available data
• Dental Council of New Zealand
• No direct evidence, DCNZ Council recognises
  that participation in CDP does not necessarily
  guarantee competence. Council takes the view
  however that CPD is a means towards ensuring
  competence, rather than an actual measure of
  competence.

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Evidence that continuing professional development
activities influences the processes and/or
outcomes for patients
Australia

• Dentists beliefs, University of Queensland
  Dental School identifies CE as one of its 4 core
  activities
• Other response patterns
• Anecdotal or no evidence

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Evidence that continuing professional development
activities influences the processes and/or
outcomes for patients
New Zealand
Response from New Zealand Dental
Association .patients require competently
delivered up-to-date treatment. dentists will
only be able to provide that if they attend CPD
and are aware of the developments. Dentists who
practice in isolation tend to be represented in
the complaint statistics. Response from
University of Otago There is a lack of data.
Dentists who come to the attention of the
disciplinary process for incompetent practice,
tend to be older, isolated practitioners with no
participation in CPE.
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SUMMARY

• CPD issues are currently high on the political
  agenda in Australia and New Zealand
• Relatively little information about needs,
  demands and participation patterns for CPD is
  publicly available.
• There is very little evidence that CPD
  activities improves the performance of the dental
  team or influences processes and/or outcomes for
  patients, but little research has been undertaken
  in these areas.

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Acknowledgements
The preparation of this presentation was
finalised within the Department of Oral Health
Services Research and Dental Public Health, Kings
College London. The workshop had been conceived
based on postdoctoral honorary work undertaken at
the Eastman Dental Institute, University College
London. Dr Bests doctorate was completed at the
University of Melbourne, Australia.