CME: Continuing education for healthcare professionals
The quality and safety of care in the healthcare sector strongly depend on continuing professional development (CPD). This key mechanism enables healthcare professionals to keep their knowledge up to date and improve their practices. CPD, mandatory for all healthcare professionals, such as physicians and nurses, ensures that the care provided is in accordance with the latest scientific discoveries and best clinical practices. Each healthcare professional within this committed CPD training organization must meet the triennial obligation through training relevant to their professional practice.
Managed by the Agence Nationale du Développement Professionnel Continu (ANDPC), the DPC includes continuing education, practice assessment, and risk management activities. This article guides you through the key aspects of the DPC, including its regulatory framework, components, participation process, funding, and benefits for healthcare professionals.
What is Continuing Professional Development (CPD)?
Definition and origins
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a central pillar in the healthcare sector, designed to continuously improve the quality and safety of care. Established by the Hospital, Patients, Health and Territories (HPST) law in 2009, the CPD underwent a significant reform in 2016 with the law on the modernization of our health system. This reform consolidated the regulatory framework and made CPD mandatory for all health professionals, regardless of their mode or sector of practice.
Originating from continuing education, which was previously optional, the DPC (Continuing Professional Development) is now a legal requirement aimed at maintaining and updating the knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals. The Interprofessional Training Fund for Liberal Professions contributes significantly to the financing of these essential training courses for those practicing as self-employed healthcare professionals under agreement, ensuring continuous updating in their respective fields.
CPD objectives
CPD sets broad and ambitious goals. Its primary aim is to guarantee the maintenance and updating of healthcare professionals' knowledge and skills, ensuring that the care provided is in line with the latest scientific discoveries and best clinical practices.
Subsequently, the DPC aims to improve professional practices. It encourages healthcare professionals to re-evaluate and optimize their working methods through professional practice assessment and risk management activities, which are essential for the quality and safety of care.
Finally, CPD is aligned with public health priorities and optimized management of healthcare expenditure. It encourages inter-professional cooperation and facilitates the integration of different modes of practice, promoting coordinated, comprehensive patient care.
The regulatory framework of the DPC
Legal and professional obligations
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is based on a solid regulatory foundation, established by several legislative and regulatory texts. The Hospital, Patients, Health, and Territories (HPST) law of July 21, 2009, made CPD mandatory for all healthcare professionals, regardless of their sector or mode of practice.
This requirement was consolidated and clarified by the law on the modernization of our healthcare system of January 26, 2016. In accordance with these provisions, every healthcare professional is required to demonstrate, every three years, their engagement in a continuing professional development (CPD) process.
This process should include actions aimed at analyzing, evaluating, and improving professional practices, as well as managing associated risks.
The objectives of CPD, detailed in Article L. 4021-2 of the French Public Health Code, include assessing professional practices, enhancing knowledge, improving the quality and safety of care, responding to public health priorities and optimizing the management of healthcare expenditure.
Professions concerned by the DPC
CPD is aimed at all healthcare professionals, without exception. This includes, among others, physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, physical therapists, podiatrists, hearing aid specialists, and medical laboratory technicians.
Each occupation is guided by its National Professional Councils (CNP), which offer CPD pathways tailored to their practice and in accordance with the recommendations of the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS). The CNPs play an essential role in establishing priorities and CPD programs specific to each occupation.
Components of CPD
Assessment of professional practices
The evaluation of professional practices (EPP) is a pillar of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), encouraging healthcare professionals to analyze and improve their practice. It offers the opportunity to question working methods, identify areas for improvement and initiate corrective actions to increase the quality and safety of care.
The National Professional Councils (CNP) define the evaluation methods, based on the guidelines of the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS). These evaluations, integrated into the three-year cycle of the DPC, ensure the monitoring of actions undertaken by healthcare professionals.
Risk management
Risk management is another key component of CPD, aimed at identifying, assessing, and minimizing risks associated with professional activity to improve patient safety. This approach includes workshops, training courses, and other practical actions to develop risk management strategies.
These initiatives, often recommended by the CNP and aligned with the priorities of the Ministry of Health, are essential for maintaining and improving the quality of care and patient safety.
Continuing education
Continuing education is a central element of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD), enabling healthcare professionals to update and deepen their knowledge and skills. It comes in various formats, such as online courses, face-to-face workshops, or seminars, covering the latest clinical and scientific advances.
Training organizations accredited by the Agence nationale du DPC offer continuing education programs whose scientific and educational quality is validated by independent scientific commissions. Such training is essential to stay at the forefront of medical innovation and reinforce professional expertise.
The process of participating in the DPC (Continuing Professional Development)
Registration and program selection
To engage in Continuing Professional Development (CPD), healthcare professionals must first register via a specific process. The first step is to create a personal account on the website of the Agence Nationale du Développement Professionnel Continu (ANDPC), accessible at agencedpc.fr.
This account is essential for the traceability of the DPC (Continuing Professional Development) training and to manage registrations and monitor DPC rights. After creating their account, professionals must ensure that the chosen training is recognized and approved by the ANDPC. They can check the list of approved training courses and organizations on the Ministry of Health website or on their professional order's website. It is important to choose a training offer that meets the needs of the profession and that follows the evolution of practices, while being accessible and adapted.
Professionals can choose from a variety of CPD programs, which differ according to profession, specialty, and mode of practice. These programs must correspond to the priority orientations of the National Professional Councils (CNP) and national health priorities.
The training courses available may vary in terms of level (initiation, advanced, consolidation) and duration, ranging from a few hours to several weeks.
Training methods: face-to-face, e-learning and blended
CPD training can take place in various forms to meet the needs and preferences of healthcare professionals. Face-to-face training promotes direct interaction with trainers and participants, enriching discussions and the sharing of experiences.
Online training (e-learning) offers great flexibility, allowing you to take courses at your own pace and from anywhere. These training courses generally include modules, videos, PDF documents, and quizzes to validate learning. Online training opportunities allow any healthcare professional, regardless of their location, to meet their triennial CPD obligation.
Blended learning, combining face-to-face and e-learning, offers the best of both worlds. It allows for some distance learning while guaranteeing opportunities for direct interaction with trainers and other participants. This option is ideal for those with time and location constraints but who also seek in-person interactions.
DPC Funding
Management and Compensation
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) offers healthcare professionals first-rate continuing education opportunities. The Agence Nationale du DPC (ANDPC) is at the heart of the management of these funds, ensuring access to these essential training courses. As a DPC manager, the ANDPC plays an important role in centralizing the training offer and allocating the resources necessary for health training.
Training costs are directly covered by the ANDPC, thus eliminating any direct financial burden for professionals when they participate in eligible training courses.
In addition to covering training costs, compensation for the time spent on these training courses is also offered to healthcare professionals. The amount of this compensation depends on the training format, with a preference for in-person or virtual classroom sessions compared to e-learning.
For example, self-employed nurses can claim compensation of €47 per hour for face-to-face or virtual classroom training, compared to €23.50 for distance learning.
Healthcare professionals in private practice or working in approved health centers are entitled to compensation for loss of income due to their absence during training, including transport, accommodation and meal expenses, thus facilitating their participation in CPD programs. This demonstrates the commitment of CPD organizations to support professionals in their training approach, which is essential to improving professional practice.
Available sources of financing
Several sources contribute to the financing of the DPC. For liberal professionals and those in contracted care centers, the ANDPC is the main source of funding, with contributions from health insurance and a tax on the pharmaceutical industry. This regulated training system, supported by the interprofessional training fund for professionals, is a valuable resource for health training accessible to all liberal health professionals.
Hospital professionals and other employees benefit from funding from their employer or via an approved joint collection organization (OPCA), with additional support from the pharmaceutical industry for hospital physicians.
In addition to ANDPC, other funding mechanisms are accessible, such as the Professional Medical Training Insurance Fund (FAFPM) for the self-employed, or the Personal Training Account (CPF) for independent workers, allowing the financing of continuous, initial training or professional qualifications.
The benefits of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for healthcare professionals
Improvement of the quality of care
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) offers healthcare professionals considerable benefits for improving the quality of care. It keeps them informed of the latest medical advances and cutting-edge clinical practices, thereby ensuring optimal, safe, and effective patient care.
CPD encompasses actions such as the evaluation of professional practices and risk management, which play a key role in raising the quality of care. These initiatives help identify and rectify discrepancies between current practices and research-based recommendations, improving the safety and effectiveness of patient care.
In addition, CPD encourages collaboration and communication between the various healthcare professionals, thus facilitating better continuity and coordination of care. This synergy contributes to more comprehensive patient management and increased patient satisfaction.
Skills and knowledge development
CPD is an essential lever for strengthening skills and acquiring new knowledge among healthcare professionals. Through continuing education, practice evaluations, and risk management actions, they can constantly update and deepen their knowledge.
These training programs are specifically designed to meet the individual needs of professionals, in line with the priorities established by the National Professional Councils (CNP) and the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS). This ensures that professionals have the tools they need to face current challenges and technological innovations in the healthcare sector.
Furthermore, continuing professional development (CPD) promotes a culture of professional responsibility and continuous improvement, motivating healthcare professionals to choose CPD pathways tailored to their aspirations and professional needs. This encourages them to maintain excellence in their skills and to provide the highest quality care to their patients.
Conclusion
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a fundamental pillar for liberal health professionals, in particular because health must constantly adapt to technological advances and new therapeutic methods. It aims to optimize the quality, safety and relevance of care through a mandatory process every three years. The Santé Académie or any other DPC management organization is governed by precise regulations and includes continuing education, evaluations of professional practices, as well as risk management. CPD is essential to enable health professionals to keep their knowledge up to date, refine their skills and stay informed of the latest scientific discoveries.
The benefits of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) are considerable, ranging from improved quality of care to enhanced skills and knowledge. It plays a vital role in increasing confidence and self-esteem among professionals, promotes interprofessional collaborations, and addresses public health issues. It is therefore imperative for every healthcare professional to be involved in this process, in order to guarantee high-quality care and patient safety.
We strongly encourage all healthcare professionals to recognize the importance of CPD and to integrate it into their daily practice. By actively participating in CPD programs, you contribute to your professional development and to improving the quality of care offered.
