Geographical challenges for physical therapy continuing education: preferences and influences

Area of Science:

• Continuing education research
• Physical therapy professional development
• Health sciences education

Background:

• Understanding factors influencing continuing education (CE) participation is crucial for professional development.
• Regional differences in therapist populations (southern vs. northern Ontario) may impact CE preferences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate factors affecting physical therapists' engagement in CE.
• To determine preferred CE program designs among Ontario-based therapists.
• To compare CE influences between southern and northern Ontario regions.

Main Methods:

• Survey distributed to licensed physical therapists in Ontario (n=784).
• Stratified sampling: random sample in the south (n=470), census in the rural north (n=314).
• Principal-component analysis used to identify key influencing factors.

Main Results:

• Six factors explained 49.7% of the variance in CE participation: timing, presentation quality, work-related cost, course-related cost, socialization, and program content.
• Conferences and workshops are favored delivery methods for CE.
• Computer-assisted instruction shows potential but requires further evaluation.

Conclusions:

• Findings provide a knowledge base for CE providers to design more effective and engaging programs.
• Tailoring CE programs to address identified influencing factors can enhance therapist participation.
• Further research into novel delivery methods like computer-assisted instruction is recommended.