[Participation in continuing education by German physicians--exemplified by the Schleswig-Holstein study]

In order to evaluate the CME behaviour of the physicians in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, the State Society of Physicians questioned all its members (n = 10,326 and 10,698) regarding the participation in CME activities during the previous year using the same questionnaire in 1991 and 1993. Answers were obtained from 6,329/6,904 physicians where 40.2/42.2% (1991/1993) worked in free practice, 46.9 (44.6)% in hospitals, 6.2 (6.9) % in administrative and scientific institutions, 5.2 (2.9)% in various medical occupations, and 1.6 (3.3)% without medical professions. CME activities were identical in 1990 and 1992, where the study of literature was the most relevant activity (99%). Mean reading time was 5.8/5.6 hours per week (physicians in practice: 5.3/5.3 hpw, in hospital 6.4/6.6 hpw), average of read journals: 3.9/3.9 (practice: 4.3/4.3 hospital: 3.6/3.6). Video-CME was documented with 41.7/44.2% in total (practice: 50.5/52.3%-hospital: 37.2/39.9%). Regarding CME courses and conferences, traditional class-room CME was used most frequently (total: 71.9/72.6%-practice: 69.7/71%-hospital: 73.9/74.9%), followed by workshops (total: 50.3/47.9%-practice: 56.4/54.1%-hospital: 45.6/54.1%) and training in small groups (total: 16.6%-practice: 20.9/19.2%-hospital: 13.2/12%). Physicians participated in CME courses and conferences usually in the evenings (7.6/7.2 times a year), followed by halfdays courses (1.4 times), weekend courses (1.4 times) and conferences lasting several day (1.2/1.3-practice: 0.8/0.9-hospital: 1.6/1.6). This study about CME activities firstly demonstrated both the representativity of systematic questionnaires based on the rules of the medical profession, as well as the continuity of the CME behaviour in Germany. The results proof that repeated questionnaires are of little influence on the answering behaviour of physicians.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)