Unidisciplinary CPD in a multidisciplinary world: Experiences from practice

Abstract

Continuing professional development (CPD) has become relevant to all healthcare staff as professional bodies develop processes to revalidate and renew registration based on evidence of lifelong learning and CPD. As a result, the number of practice and professional development groups such as journal clubs, is increasing. Little evidence is available to differentiate between unidisciplinary and multidisciplinary CPD group activities, although by anecdotal reports, the number of unidisciplinary CPD groups appears to be growing. This study aimed to evaluate the value of a unidisciplinary occupational therapy CPD group to its six participants, the multidisciplinary teams in which they worked, and for the service users referred to them. A qualitative approach from a phenomenological perspective was used to explore this previously under-researched area. Triangulation of the data was achieved using postal questionnaires with open questions, the service manager as key informant and a research diary. Four main themes emerged from the inductive analysis: critical evaluation of practice to improve service delivery, improving communication for mutual learning, developing as a discipline with the multi-disciplinary team, and developing clinical skills. The implications of the study both for this uniprofessional group as well as for the multidisciplinary teams in which the occupational therapists worked are discussed, with recommendations made for future practice.