J Educ Eval Health Prof.  2015;12:25. 10.3352/jeehp.2015.12.25.

Unmet needs in continuing medical education programs for rural Chinese township health professionals

• Yi Y
• Chongsuvivatwong V
• Sriplung H
• Hu G
• McNeil E
• Feng Q
• Zhou H
• Wei B

• KMID: 2402032
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3352/jeehp.2015.12.25

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study aimed to describe the system of continuing medical education (CME) in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and to ascertain the perceived needs related to that system, in order to improve the performance of health professionals in Chinese township health centers (THCs).
METHODS
In-depth key informant interviews were conducted to gain insights into the current CME system. A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered structured questionnaire was also carried out from March to August 2014 in order to identify perceived needs among THC personnel in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Logistic regression was used to identify factors related to respondents' interest in pursuing different levels of degree study.
RESULTS
The areas of need perceived by the respondents included general clinical competence and emergency or first aid knowledge. Most respondents wanted to study at medical colleges in order to obtain a higher degree. Respondents aged below 45 years with neutral or positive attitudes about the benefit of degree study for the licensure examination were more likely to attend a bachelor-level CME program than their older peers and respondents with negative attitudes towards degree study. Female respondents and respondents aged below 45 years were more likely to attend a junior college CME program than males and older respondents, respectively.
CONCLUSION
It is necessary to develop degree-linked CME programs to meet the need for young health professionals in Chinese THCs; therefore, this programs can improve the expertise of poorly educated young health workers, who overwhelm rural Chinese heath systems.

Keyword

China; Clinical competence; Continuing medical education, First aid; Health services needs and demand

MeSH Terms

Asian Continental Ancestry Group*
China
Clinical Competence
Cross-Sectional Studies
Surveys and Questionnaires
Dronabinol
Education, Medical, Continuing*
Emergencies
Female
First Aid
Health Occupations*
Health Services Needs and Demand
Humans
Licensure
Logistic Models
Male
Child Health
Dronabinol

Reference

1. Huang L, Yang D, Yao L, Liu Z, Wu W. Guangxi’s rural health insurance scheme: evidence from an ethnic minority region in China. Rural Remote Health. 2013; 13:2454.

2. McQuaide S. Making education equitable in rural China through distance learning. Int Rev Res Open Distance Learn. 2009; 10:1–21.

3. Che XX, Niu L, Xia XL, Wang X. Joint curriculum development of the training program for five-year, rural-oriented, tuition-waived medical students. Chin Educ Soc. 2014; 47:56–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.2753/CED1061-1932470304.

4. Curran VR, Keegan D, Parsons W, Rideout G, Tannenbaum D, Dumoulin N, Kirby F, Fleet LJ. A comparative analysis of the perceived continuing medical education needs of a cohort of rural and urban Canadian family physicians. Can J Rural Med. 2007; 12:161–166.

5. Glazebrook RM, Harrison SL. Obstacles and solutions to maintenance of advanced procedural skills for rural and remote medical practitioners in Australia. Rural Remote Health. 2006; 6:502.

6. Narayan KM, Ali MK, Koplan JP. Global noncommunicable diseases: where worlds meet. N Engl J Med. 2010; 363:1196–1198. http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp1002024.

7. Wallerstein N, Duran B. Community-based participatory research contributions to intervention research: the intersection of science and practice to improve health equity. Am J Public Health. 2010; 100 Suppl 1:S40–S46. http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.184036.