IMPLEMENTING LEARNING FROM CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF PHARMACISTS AND NURSES' BEHAVIORS USING COM-B AND TDF

Abstract

Introduction: Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is an approach for health professionals to maintain knowledge and competence and can contribute to improving delivery of care. However, there is a lack of studies exploring the factors influencing CPD participants' implementing their learning from CPD activities into their routine practice. This study addresses this gap by exploring behavioral determinants of healthcare professionals of implementation learning following specific CPD activity. Objective: Phase one aimed to summarize and categorize the literature reporting on the experiences of healthcare professionals in implementing learning from CPD activities, then study employed the COM-B model to explore factors that explain CPD participants' implementing their learning from CPD activities into routine practice. By mapping COM-B components analysis to relevant TDF domains. This mapping guided Phase two to proposed targeted intervention using the Behavior Change Wheel (BCW). Methodology: In Phase one a scoping review of exiting literature was conducted and published, followed by a qualitative study involving 11 semi-structured interviews of healthcare professionals conducted 4-6 weeks after the CPD workshop. Interviews were guided by the COM-B model, and themes were mapped to TDF. Phase two involved recommendation for proposed interventions based on the Behavior Change Wheel (BCW) to address identified behavioral determinants. Results: Most participants routinely use their learning from the CPD workshop in their routine practice. Whilst capability, opportunity and motivation were all individually implicated, the opportunity to apply learning in community pharmacy settings was specifically more challenging. Overall, across all settings, participants' motivation was the most important construct explaining participants implementing their learning into routine practice. Mapping to TDF identified the relevant domains to the components of COM-B model: Knowledge and Skills, Environmental Context and Resources and Social Influences, Beliefs about Capabilities, Emotion and Reinforcement domains. We recommend specific behavior change interventions aligned with the study findings, emphasizing the need to target education and training, incentivization, and environmental restructuring while designing the behavior interventions. These interventions should be tailored to the unique requirements of each focus area to ensure effective implementation and sustainability within the local healthcare context. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the complexity of implementing CPD learning into clinical practice. Subsequent to participation in the CPD workshop, participants generally implemented their learning into their routine practice. CPD workshops should be designed to foster participants' motivation and include strategies that address setting-specific challenges that obstruct opportunities to implement learning into routine practice.