Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions (05/17/23) MacNeill, Heather; Paton, Morag; Schneeweiss, Suzan; et al.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many continuing professional development (CPD) providers to shift to and learn new technology skills for online CPD sessions. New research investigated the providers' comfort levels with the technology and the advantages and disadvantages of using such technology for CPD. The authors surveyed CPD providers at the University of Toronto and members of the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education. Eighty-one percent of the 111 respondents said they were very to somewhat confident about their ability to deliver online CPD; however, less than half said they had IT, financial or faculty development support. Reaching a new demographic was the top reported benefit of online CPD provision, while disadvantages included videoconferencing fatigue, social isolation and conflicting priorities. Respondents also expressed interest in using less commonly employed technology like online collaboration tools, virtual patients and augmented/virtual reality. "As we move beyond the pandemic, it will be important to consider ongoing faculty development, particularly toward asynchronous and HyFlex delivery methods to continue expand CPD reach and negate negative online experiences such as videoconferencing fatigue, social isolation and online distractions," the researchers wrote.
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