MAKING REACCREDITATION MEANINGFUL

Reaccreditation is a well-accepted fact for many doctors outside the U nited Kingdom and is likely to become a reality for British general pr actitioners. The author's sabbatical year in the United States of Amer ica studying reaccreditation and its relationship to continuing medica l education has enabled a critical analysis of recent proposals in the UK to be carried out. The aim of reaccreditation must be understood b y the profession and must be clearly stated. To be credible it will ha ve to be mandatory and linked to continuing medical education. Current types of continuing medical education must be developed so that they are meaningful, influence doctors' behaviour and include research, aud it, training, reading and medical writing. The profession must confron t the need to penalize the small number of doctors who have an unaccep table standard of practice. The potential benefits of an appropriate f orm of reaccreditation may include improved quality of care and patien t outcome, enhanced job satisfaction and reduced rates of burnout.