The creation of a modern system of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of doctors and its integration in accordance with European requirements is an important component of building a healthcare system in Ukraine.
This was discussed during the Second International Scientific and Practical Conference dedicated to the implementation of European Training Requirements (ETR) for medical workers in Ukraine: Continuous Professional Development in Medicine, which took place on July 4 in Kyiv.
The conference was co-organized by the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, the Shupyk National Healthcare University of Ukraine and Public Union “Ukrainian Federation of Medical Organizations”.
During the conference, Vyacheslav Kaminsky, Rector of the Shupyk National Healthcare University of Ukraine, stressed out that the most important issues of implementing the European experience of CPD in Ukraine are the transparent functioning of the CPD system, appropriate requirements for providers and control over their implementation, as well as the development of promising formats for conducting educational activities.
According to Ihor Shkrobanets, the General Secretary of the Ukrainian Federation of Medical Organizations (UFMO), almost 40% of CPD activities are carried out by 17 of all 520 providers. Only during 2024, almost 6,000 official events were registered.
“But we are talking about a real educational market, on which the competencies of medical practitioners depend. That is, the quality of medical services and their safety. This is about the life and health of Ukrainian patients. Therefore, it is a pity that frequent cases of poor-quality events discredit the entire system of CPD, especially students receive significant points for training programs that are irrelevant and biased, including by various manufacturers,” emphasized Ihor Shkrobanets.
It was noted that the UFMO insists on the need for competent and impartial regulation of the CPD market according to the European model, including the nomenclature of activities and the calculation of points.
“We are inspired by how you, in Ukraine, fulfill your responsibilities to your patients, how your doctors, despite difficult conditions and russian military aggression, try to keep up with their development and increase their CPD points,” emphasized General Secretary of UEMS Dr. Joao Grenho.
In total, more than 600 participants took part in the conference. Based on the results of the discussion, the participants adopted a Resolution, which, in particular, recommends recognizing the leading expert role of professional Associations in the field of medicine in the development of recommended CPD trajectories, taking into account topics, directions and types of CPD in accordance with European standards.