CPD experiences and desires of emergency care practitioners and providers

Background: Emergency care practitioners (ECPs) depend on continuing professional development (CPD) service providers for quality activities. However, limited research exists on enhancing collaboration between them. This study explores their experiences with the aim of improving CPD for both practitioners and service providers. Methods: An online questionnaire, containing both open and closed questions, was distributed to 170 ECPs and 15 CPD service providers. A cross-sectional survey enabled descriptive analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. Results: Major findings include diverse CPD engagement among 170 ECPs, with 50.89% preferring face-to-face workshops and 64.46% expressing a need for interactive sessions. Half of the ECPs favoured employer facilitated CPD. Among the 15 CPD service providers, 86.67% had additional responsibilities, 46.15% wanted better communication with the regulatory body and 66.67% reported that their CPD activities were never audited. Additionally, 53.85% of CPD service providers did not offer follow-up, work-based sessions. Discussion: This study highlights the lack of a universally preferred CPD format, indicating a need for a variety of offerings. Challenges faced by CPD service providers, such as additional responsibilities and communication gaps with regulatory bodies, underscore potential hindrances to efficacy. The findings suggest quality control should be enhanced and comprehensive learning pathways provided that are tailored to specific needs in emergency care, with an emphasis on the importance of optimising professional development.