Do Continuing Medical Education Programs Improve Drug Prescribing Status in Iran? A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: Holdingcontinuing medical education programs (CME) is one of the recommended global strategies for attaining rational drug prescribing by physicians. The aim of this study was to assess the barriers and fill the gap between the current situation and the favorable status of CME by evaluating experts’ viewpoints on the role of these programs in improving the status of drug prescribing. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using a semi-structured interview. Participants included those who were well-informed and experienced in the field of rational use and prescribing drugs. Sampling was done in a targeted way and 16 people were interviewed. The interviews were evaluated after the implementation of the theme analysis method. Results: In this study, two major concepts including the needs for CME and barriers to effective CME were presented by the participants. The needs for CME included 4 main themes, and the barriers to effective CME included 6 themes (physical, financial, motivational, supervisional, executive, and policy making barriers) and 12 sub themes. Conclusion: Regarding the multiple barriers to achieving the effective CME and improving the rational drug prescribing, and in order to overcome these barriers and achieve a favorable status, a review of the content and quality of CME, outcome-based planning, and continuous quality promotion are required.

Keywords

• inappropriate prescribing
• inappropriate use of drugs
• medical education