GEOGRAPHICAL CHALLENGES FOR PHYSICAL THERAPY CONTINUING-EDUCATION - PREFERENCES AND INFLUENCES

Background and Purpose. The purpose of this survey was to, examine fac tors influencing participation in continuing education (CE) and prefer ences for CE program design. Therapists in the more densely populated region of southern Ontario were compared with those in the more rural northern Ontario region. Subjects and Methods. All physical therapists with licenses in Ontario on February 1, 1994, were in the target popu lation. Simple random sampling was used to sample 470 therapists in so uthern Ontario. Because there are few physical therapists in northern Ontario, survey instruments were sent to all 314 licensed therapists i n that area. A questionnaire and covering letter were mailed to all su bjects on March 1, 1944. Results. Of the 784 questionnaires that were mailed, 644 (82%) were returned. Principal-component analysis extracte d six factors, accounting for 49.7% of the variance for factors influe ncing participation: timing, presentation quality, work-related cost, course-related cost, socialization, and program content. Results indic ated that conferences or workshops should be used as a primary vehicle for the delivery of CE programs and that the use of computer-assisted instruction should be further developed and evaluated. Conclusion and Discussion. The information gathered in this study may be useful as a knowledge base from which CE providers can develop future programs.