• Hirotsugu Aiga and James E Banta.
• Department of Global Health, School of Public Health and Health Services, Medical Center, The George Washington University, Washington DC 20037, USA. iphhxa@gwumc.edu
• Int J Health Plann Manage. 2003 Jul 1;18(3):267-71.

AbstractContinuing professional education (CPE) has been recognized as an effective tool for equipping health professionals with updated knowledge and skills for improving health services quality. However, there is globally increasing skepticism concerning the effectiveness of CPE. In developed countries, the major reasons for participation in CPE include compliance with employers' requirements and renewal of specialist qualifications and licences. In developing countries, CPE, frequently supported by development agencies, often provides subsistence support to participants and is possibly perceived as an extra income opportunity or tool for promotion among health professionals. The knowledge and skills learned are insufficiently applied in daily practice. This carrot-and-stick approach should be reduced and efforts should be made to increase the level of application of what has been learned. To deliver more effective and efficient CPE, it is critical to study this issue in more depth.

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