[Skills accreditation as an impetus for continuous professional development]

To analyse the perceived usefulness of continuous professional development (CPD) of the Professional Skills Accreditation Programme of the Andalusian Agency for Healthcare Quality, with 64 Skills Manuals available, one for each professional discipline.

A quantitative and longitudinal study by questionnaire. Field of the study: every professional who has finished their professional skills accreditation process.

2006-2009. A validated questionnaire on the perceived quality of the professional skills accreditation process was distributed online to the targeted population. The questionnaire analysed the professionals' perception on the usefulness of the accreditation process in the "self-learning and reflection of their practice", the "maintenance and improvement of their skills" and the "maintenance and improvement of their results".

In 2009, 10,300 professionals were in some phase of the skills accreditation process, 1427 of whom have achieved some accreditation level. A total of 886 completed questionnaires were received (62.0%); the overall rating obtained by the Accreditation Programme was 7.7/10. The rating of the perceived usefulness in continuous professional development was: "self-learning and reflection of their practice": 7.8/10; "maintenance and improvement of their skills": 7.7/10; and "maintenance and improvement of their results": 7.5/10. The average length of their professional practice self-assessment was 168 days.

The Professional Skills Accreditation Programme of the Andalusian Agency for Healthcare Quality was perceived by the professionals as useful for their continuous professional development.