“We don’t need no education” – A qualitative study of barriers to continuous medical education among Danish general practitioners

Abstract

Abstract Background: Continuous medical education is essential for the individual patient care, the society, and the wellbeing of the general practitioner. There has been research into the reasons for participation in continuous medical education, but little is known about the barriers to participation. To be able to tailor continuous medical education to general practitioners who are currently deselecting education, we require systematic knowledge of the barriers. Continuous medical education can stimulate job satisfaction, diminish burnout, and reinforce feelings of competence. Delayed retirement is seen among general practitioners who thrive in their job. General practitioners’ mental well-being may have positive implications for their patients and for healthcare expenditures. Educational activities show promise as a strategy to recruit and retain physicians in less attractive specialties. Despite renumeration and a comprehensive continuous education model not all Danish general practitioners participate in continuous medical education. Methods: 243 out of a total of 3440 Danish general practitioners did not apply for reimbursement for accredited continuous medical education in a two-year period. 10 general practitioners were selected for an interview regarding maximum variation in practice form, number of listed patients, seniority as a general practitioner, geography, gender, and age. All 10 selected general practitioners accepted to be interviewed. The interviews were analysed using Systematic Text Condensation. Results: Each of the 10 interviewed general practitioners mentions several barriers for participating in continuous education. The barriers fall into three main categories: · barriers related to the individual general practitioner · barriers related to the clinic · barriers related to the accredited continuous medical education offered Conclusions: Less than 7% of the Danish general practitioners did not participate in accredited remunerated continuous medical education. It corresponds to 400.000 listed patients having a general practitioner who does not participate in accredited continuous education. The barriers for participating fall into three main categories. A knowledge of the barriers for participating in accredited continuous medical education can be used to better target continuous medical education to some of the general practitioners who are currently deselecting continuous education.