Continuing education courses in dentistry: assessing impact on practice

Introduction In the context of movement towards mandatory continuing dental education, this paper describes how a delayed postal questionnaire can be used in course evaluation. Specifically, the value of the questionnaire as a tool for assessing the impact of short course attendance on general denta l practice is examined. Method Questionnaires were distributed to all those attending three courses , ranging in size, in the West Midlands region. As well as reflecting on th e course, respondents were asked their views on the usefulness of the quest ionnaire, the length of time between course attendance and assessment of im pact, and types of courses likely to have greatest impact. Results Respondents thought the questionnaire an appropriate tool for asses sing impact an practice, that an appropriate interval of time between the c ourse and the delayed questionnaire is about six weeks, and that courses mo st likely to impact on practice are those which offer updates on common cli nical topics and are hands-on in nature. Discussion A delayed questionnaire could be a useful mechanism for evaluati ng the impact on practice of some types of courses. Response rates from tho se attending large lecture courses might be low. Course evaluation is also limited by resources and time. Criteria for identifying which courses shoul d be subject to such evaluation might include high cost per participant and links with review cycles. Conclusion There is scope for more structured evaluation of continuing dent al education, including the assessment of impact on practice. The questionn aire described is a useful component of an evaluation framework.