INTRODUCTION
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) refers to all activities health professionals undertake formally to maintain, update and develop their knowledge, skills and attitudes in response to the health service needs of the public.
CPD denotes to the period of education and training of health professionals commencing after completion of basic or postgraduate health professional training.
CPD is a broad concept referring to the continuing development of the multi-faceted competencies inherent in health services covering wider domains of professionalism needed for high- quality professional performance. It aims to maintain and develop competencies of individual health professionals essential for meeting the changing needs of patients and the health service system and responding to the new challenges of emerging/re-emerging health problems and scientific development.
Health professionals must maintain, update and enhance their knowledge, skills, and attitude to adequately deliver quality health care. This is particularly important due to a changing disease pattern in which diseases that had been eradicated are now reemerging, as well as an increase of non-communicable diseases. There is a need for CPD to maintain professional competence in an environment of numerous challenges, rapid organizational changes, information technology, increasing public expectations and demand for quality and greater accountability.
Currently, CPD activities in Ethiopia are fragmented as there are no standardization, regulation and accreditation mechanisms. Besides, CPD activities have never been linked to re-licensure of health professionals. Hence, Ministry of Health believes that CPD should be systematically organized, tied to the relicensing system and occur in concerted with other developments in health care system to improve the quality of health services.
