Evaluation of continuous postgraduate training of private sector cardiologists in France in 1999

The authors present the results of a retrospective national enquiry which t ook place in 1999 and was mailed and faxed to the 3 800 cardiologists pract ising in the private sector in order to assess the different types of conti nuous, individual and collective postgraduate training which they had benef ited from in the preceding 12 months. The data was analysed by comparison w ith that obtained from an individualised representative sample in a panel o f private sector cardiologists. The results were then compared with the cri teria of a yardstick proposed by the National Committee of Continuous Medic al Education of 1997, according to the April 25th 1996 decree. The meeting of these criteria would require carrying out 114 000 to 76 000 hour-equivalents of continuous education whereas the present offer is about 100 000 hour-equivalents. The different forms of individual or collective training were compared in the 327 questionnaires which were exploitable fol lowing adhesion to the French Society of Cardiology, to the Cardiologists' Union, to local cardiological societies, by age, gender and type of practic e. The average number of annual hours of collective education was 52.2 +/- 60. 1 hours (25% quartile=25 hours, 75%=60 hours). The average value of hours o f individual education was 89.7 +/- 89.3 hours (25% quartile=25 hours; 75%= 120 hours). This evaluation indicates that about 15% of cardiologists practising in the private sector have inadequate continuous medical education and that 68% w ould satisfy the criteria laid down in 1997. Moreover, the present offer wo uld seem to be adequate providing the criteria of accreditation have been m et.