[Professionals and managers in face of training]

To analyse ongoing education within primary care teams from managers' perspective.

Cross-sectional descriptive study.

The Mother-Infant Health Programme of Andalusia in primary care.

The views of health centre professionals were obtained through 8 groups. The type of health district and the number of years in operation were used as criteria for division. The views of the area managers were collected through a self-filled questionnaire from all the managers in the autonomous community.

Professionals believed it necessary to keep up to date and train in new technology. They thought that training activities should focus on questions such as evaluation of programmes, focus of risk, counselling and communication, and certain techniques such as IUD insertion. Both managers and professionals coincided in recognising the effect of training on the development of mother-child services. There was consensus among professionals in affirming that training increases the quality of care delivered. Access to training was the main incentive element used by most area managers and one of those most highly valued by professionals. The professionals affirmed that in recent years there had been obstacles to their education by attending scientific events outside their areas. Many professionals stated that the economic assistance of the pharmaceutical industry for courses caused inequalities between doctors and nurses in access to training. Professionals were very critical of training combined with specialist training.

Professionals think they have sufficient training for mother-child health care. It is generally recognised that family doctors are better trained for working on health programmes than other professionals at the centres. Ongoing training was rated very highly by both professionals and directors, as it was seen as a motivating element and thought to be an activity almost solely carried out at health centres.