Insights into CHE Participation

4 Years into Mandatory CPD in Canada and resulting impact on CHE Participation…

In 2007, the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FMRAC) issued a policy position, which laid the foundations for mandatory continuing professional development (CPD) requirements in Canada.

For GPs/FMs, the most applicable CPD program is MAINPRO (Maintenance of Proficiency) of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). Given the policy context, it is no surprise that a snapshot of Canada’s GPs/FMs in 2011 [Ref. 1] indicates that MAINPRO has become the de facto CHE standard in the country—with the exception of Quebec, where the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ) established its own Plan d’Autogestion du Développement Professionnel Continu (PADPC).

Changes in the CPD policy environment have no doubt influenced how physicians view what and how they learn to maintain their competence and performance throughout their careers. A good reflection of this influence can be found in the growing importance of accreditation [Ref. 2], especially among non-CFPC members who in the past were not subject to CPD requirements.

These changes in the environment and in the outlook of GPs/FMs raise the question of: whether accreditation is now the primary driver of CHE participation. The 2011 Insight Syndication Study on CHE Preferences conducted by MD Analytics explores this question along with an analysis of other key motivators to CHE participation, areas of greatest CHE need, and a participants’ rating of pharmaceutical companies’ CHE programs.

To learn more about this study, please contact us.