Problems of Continuing Medical Education Programs and Their Solutions from the Viewpoint of Faculty Members

Background & Objective: The majority of surveys have demonstrated the inadequate success rate of continuing education programs in Iran from the viewpoint of participants However no studies have been conducted on the viewpoints of lecturers (influential individuals and beneficiaries in this issue) in this regard Thus the present study aimed to investigate the problems of continuing education programs and their solutions from the perspective of lecturers Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in ۲۰۱۵ on ۱۵ university faculty members who had previous experience of lecturing continuing education programs The participants were selected using purposive sampling (n = ۱۵) Data were gathered through focus group discussion All discussions were recorded on audiotapes transcribed and then analyzed through inductive content analysis Results: Data analysis led to the extraction of ۳ main themes (problems) ۱۲ categories ۴۲ subcategories and ۶۸ suggested solutions The main themes included the reduction of incentive to participate in programs (۴ categories) low effectiveness of implemented programs (۵ categories) and the ineffective evaluation of programs (۳ categories) Conclusion: The main motivation for general practitioners to participate in these programs must be the correction of professional practice It seems that intervention in the implementation and assessment fields are more likely than participants motivation Providing teaching methods workshops for faculty members improving awareness of the goals and timetable of workshops holding workshops rather than lectures evaluating performance instead of satisfaction and providing feedback on the assessment results are effective factors in the efficiency of programs