Transforming Continuing Professional Development for Healthcare Professionals to Meet National Goals in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS), the regulatory agency for health professions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), sought to evolve the continuing professional development (CPD) ecosystem for the country and to promote the concept of life-long learning for healthcare professionals. SCFHS audited its own CPD accreditation system, reviewed internationally recognised CPD accreditation criteria, adopted a new set of standards, and trained its staff and provider community in their adoption. SCFHS also deployed a range of programmes and grants to support healthcare educators and researchers engaged in CPD. SCFHS recruited and trained new staff and deployed an updated IT system to support system change. The adopted criteria and standards now align with best practices, as outlined by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the International Academy for CPD Accreditation. More than 170 educators have participated in programmes to learn effective CPD pedagogy. The adoption of new standards resulted in 396 providers seeking provider accreditation. The number of CPD accredited activities produced in the KSA and approved by the SCFHS has grown from 1,000 activities in 2002 to 10,500 in 2022. With leadership support, regulatory evolution to align with best practices supports healthcare educators and effectively expands of the diversity and quality of CPD.

Keywords

• Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS)
• continuing professional development (CPD)
• accreditation
• international
• standards
• substantive equivalency