TOWARDS NEW TRAINING MODELS OF “CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION” IN ITALY

The constant updating of professional knowledge is both an opportunity and an obligation for medical practitioners. In order to ensure a satisfactory level of professional training in Italy, as in other countries, the CME programme was introduced some years ago. Depending on which training models were adopted for CME there was a difference in the level of satisfaction and, in particular, a difference in the level of effectiveness as regards increased knowledge, skills and performance on the part of the health care professionals; evaluation has now begun of the impact of training courses on the quality of treatment and care provided by the National Health Service.
This article aims to analyze the most recent training models used in the field of CME, and to assess the principal features which determine their effectiveness. The most commonly used training activities in the last few years have been of a residential nature. However, recent observations have suggested that these types of training activities have proved to be relatively ineffective in modifying professional practices, as they are based on passive types of teaching methods. The last few years have also seen an increase in the number of courses based on distance or blended education. Some experimental training courses have been held which require the participation and active involvement of health care professionals right from the planning phase, with the identification of their training needs. These training courses also envisage a high degree of interactivity and active didactic strategies. Other experimental models which are particularly effective envisage the adoption of complex training paths which develop over a long period of time and which are based on the integrated use of different training techniques, some of which attempt to exploit the well recognized potentials and benefits of ICT for learning purposes. A further element which is becoming particularly important in the planning and carrying out of CME courses is the definition of evaluation systems which provide information about the adequacy of a training project in terms of its impact on improving professional performance and health care.