Abstract
In developed countries like Australia, Canada, UK and USA, continuous professional development (CPD) is statutory or mandatory training for all regulated healthcare staff such as doctors, midwives, nurses, pharmacists and physiotherapists. All patients facing healthcare professionals are expected to attend stipulated programs of learning some with annual recall. These trainings are compulsory to attend. Staff employers would be in breach of statutory laws or regulatory requirements if they employ or allow staff to work with expired CPD competencies. In a low- or middle-income country (LMIC) like Sierra Leone, CPD is currently selective, and voluntary and registration licences are not revalidated. This can invariably put patients at risk as clinical skills/knowledge are not regularly verified. This paper discusses the rationale for the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) to consider introducing mandatory CPD training programmes, especially for nurses and midwives employed in healthcare settings in the country.
Publisher
African - British Journals