title: Integrating Continuing Professional Development With Health System Reform: Building Pillars of Support.
abstract: Clinical failures sparked a widespread desire for health system reform at the beginning of the 21st century, but related efforts have resulted in changes that are either slow or nonexistent. In response, academic medicine has moved in two directions: (1) system-wide reform using electronic health records, practice networks, and widespread data applications (a macro pathway); and (2) professional development of individual clinicians through continuous performance improvement (a micro pathway). Both pathways exist to improve patient care and population health, yet each suffers from limitations in widespread implementation. The authors call for a better union between these two parallel pathways through four pillars of support: (1) an acknowledgment that both pathways are essential to each other and to the final outcome they intend to achieve, (2) a strong faculty commitment to educate about quality improvement and patient safety at all education levels, (3) a reengineering of tools for professional development to serve as effective change agents, and (4) the development of standards to sustain this alignment of pathways. With these pillars of support integrating continuing professional development with health system reform, the authors envision a better functioning system, with improved metrics and value to enhance patient care and population health.
authors.affiliation: D.A. Davis, at the time of this writing, was senior director of continuing education and performance improvement, Association of American Medical Colleges, Washington, D.C. He currently is professor of family and community medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and senior consultant, Mohammed Ben Rashid School of Medicine, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. W.F. Rayburn is distinguished professor, associate dean of continuing medical education and professional development, and emeritus chair of obstetrics and gynecology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: William F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Rayburn
mesh_terms: D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000639:trends*; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006801:Humans; D011361:Professional Competence; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D058996:Quality Improvement; D014481:United States