Strategies for overcoming barriers to engagement in continuing professional development (CPD) activities in...

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) involves the systematic maintenance, improvement, and broadening of knowledge, skills, and personal qualities necessary for executing professional and technical duties throughout a professional's work life. Radiographers must stay up to date with the latest knowledge and technological advancements to maintain best practices. Previous studies have highlighted time constraints, a lack of motivation and insufficient resources as barriers to engaging in CPD activities among radiographers. Notably, there is a paucity of literature documenting strategies to overcome these barriers from the perspective of key stakeholders, including radiographers, their employers and the professional body. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of radiographers, employers and the professional body on strategies to improve CPD engagement by radiographers.

A qualitative exploratory study was employed using purposive sampling to select 15 radiographers, 3 employers and a representative from the professional body in Malawi. After obtaining ethical approval and signed consent from the participants, one-to-one and face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants, audio recorded with their permission, and transcribed verbatim before analysis. Tesch's eight steps of data analysis were used to analyse the data and develop themes related to the strategies to overcoming barriers to CPD engagement by radiographers.

The study yielded three themes, namely: Promoting a supportive mindset to alleviate attitudinal barriers, enhancing accessibility and infrastructure, and establishing organisational support.

A comprehensive and multi-faceted approach incorporating employer support, accessible resources, and regulatory frameworks is essential to facilitate optimal CPD engagement among radiographers, thereby enhancing professional practice, patient care outcomes and overall healthcare care quality.

Implementing strategies that foster a supportive mindset, enhance accessibility, and establish organisational support can help overcome barriers to CPD engagement among radiographers in Malawi, ultimately improving the quality of radiography services and patient care.