Physicians' approaches to continuing education

A questionnaire survey was conducted of a random sample of 308 physicians to determine their actual and preferred approach to continuing education. Demographic data raised questions about the possible influence of the undergraduate institution attended, the future impact of the growing proportion of women physicians and the effect of increasing subspecialisation. The average physician spends eight-nine hours a week on educational activities and 2.5-4.0 hours a week teaching. Unstructured ad hoc reading and postgraduate activities predominate over methods based on specific, individual needs or on current patient problems. The educational desirability of this is questioned. Physicians are avid attenders at conferences with 10-15% being at a national or international meeting in any one survey week. It appears physicians would prefer to use a wider range of educational activities including more refresher courses and innovative methods. By comparison, Canadian physicians showed similar, but more strongly evident, preferences. These findings have important implications for the College. It appears physicians need to be better informed about potentially more effective learning methods and account ought to be taken of their preference for methods which are not currently widely available.