Objective: To assess the knowledge and attitudes of Texas pharmacists regarding continuing professional development (CPD).
Design: Descriptive, non-experimental cross-sectional study.
Setting: Texas during 2008.
Participants: 4,954 pharmacists were contacted via e-mail.
Intervention: Survey incorporating demographic and informational questions about CPD was sent to the pharmacist membership of two large pharmacy organizations in Texas. All responses were included in the data collection. The results of the survey were compiled into a spreadsheet for analysis.
Main outcome measures: Determining pharmacists' attitudes and needs for CPD versus a traditional continuing education (CE) system, as well as identifying educational opportunities for lifelong learning for pharmacists.
Results: 471 pharmacists completed an online survey (9.5% response rate). The respondent population contained similar numbers of men and women; however, men respondents tended to be older and had been in practice longer. Most respondents worked in either hospital or community pharmacy settings. The most common stimulants for learning were self-reflection, patients, literature, and regulatory requirements. The most highly rated sources of education were live followed by printed CE programs. Nearly one-third of respondents felt that a change to a CPD model would be beneficial to their professional development. More than one-half of respondents (53%) indicated that they were unsure of the benefits of CPD.
Conclusion: Overall, the pharmacists surveyed understood their need to maintain professional competence. A minority of the pharmacists (12%) maintained a written record or planned to document their progress. Many pharmacists felt that CPD as it is understood by the respondents may not assist them in improving their professional development.