Continuing professional development barriers and recommendations: Perspectives of audiologists

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Healthcare Professions Education

Background:

• Continuing professional development (CPD) is mandatory for South African audiologists via the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
• Low compliance rates among audiologists necessitate an investigation into participation barriers and interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore barriers audiologists encounter in CPD participation.
• To gather audiologists' suggestions for enhancing CPD uptake.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive qualitative research design was employed.
• Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with 11 private sector audiologists in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
• Thematic analysis was used to analyze interview responses.

Main Results:

• Three primary categories of barriers were identified: personal, financial, and structural.
• Eight subthemes emerged from the data.
• Participants provided nine distinct recommendations for improving CPD.

Conclusions:

• Implementing the suggested strategies is expected to overcome identified barriers.
• This can lead to increased active engagement of audiologists in their professional development.
• Contributes to limited literature on barriers faced by young, private sector audiologists in South Africa.