Continuous profession development for physicians - why does it matter to patients? Prof. Daiana Stolz, MPH FERS FCCP Education Council Chair Daiana.Stolz@usb.ch

Outline What is continuous professional development Heterogeneity of training in Europe How to allow transparency? Physician and patient communication

Lifelong learning Continuing professional development (CPD) is about ensuring that respiratory professionals remain up to date with current practice Professionals are continuously facing: Medical advances in diagnosis, treatment and management Better informed patients - patients in the internet age The need for greater reporting, transparency and accountability Patient and professional cross-border mobility Decline in the retention of knowledge

Are all Doctors equal? Heterogeneity in respiratory physician training means that not all physicians receive the same level of training, mentoring and educational opportunities Individual countries set regulations around the length of training and the variation of topics covered

Europe is an heterogenous landscape

Sehlbach C, et al, BMJ Open 2018, ERS phD student

Sehlbach C, et al, BMJ Open 2018, ERS phD student

Recertification in different countries

How to find out about your physician?

Have you ever asked your Doctor about their continuous training/education? Have you ever questioned your role in a Doctors continuous professional development? What is the role of the EU in this process?

Physician and patient communication

Patient/doctor communication Doctor-patient communication is central to clinical practice – doctors perform 200 000 consultations in a professional lifetime Effective communication is essential to high-quality medicine; it has been shown to improve: patient satisfaction, recall, understanding, adherence and outcomes of care   Kurtz, S. et al, 2005 CRC Press.

The challenge What the clinician wants to talk about is not nearly as relevant to the patient as it is to the clinician and that’s a problem Physician- or disease- oriented style of communicating Focus on the biomedical causes rather than the quality of life issues of concern to the person/patient. 

“Much patient dissatisfaction and many complaints are due to breakdown in the doctor-patient relationship. However, many doctors tend to overestimate their ability in communication” Ha, Jennifer Fong, and Nancy Longnecker. "Doctor-patient communication: a review." The Ochsner Journal 10, no. 1 (2010): 38-43

Why does the communication breakdown Deterioration and lack of training of Doctors' Communication Skills Nondisclosure of Information Doctors avoidance behaviour Discouragement of Collaboration Resistance by Patients

Communication skill development Communication skills need to be taught and learned – it is not just a personality trait – experience alone can be a very poor teacher Specific teaching and learning methods are required in communication skills training (skills, problem-based, as well as cognitive and attitudinal learning)

Considering the complex relationship between patients and professionals, how can patients help professionals to improve their communication skills?

Continuous professional development concerns physicians and patients Key take home message Continuous professional development concerns physicians and patients We need to work together to improve