Knowledge, perceived needs of continuous professional’s development, and associated factors among healthcare workers in East Ethiopia: a multi-health facility-based cross-sectional study

The Ethiopian Ministry of Health (EMOH) has recently introduced a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) program for healthcare workers to ensure they maintain the necessary competencies to meet the community’s health needs. However, there is limited information on healthcare workers’ knowledge and perceived need for CPD. This study aims to assess healthcare workers’ CPD knowledge, perceived needs, and factors associated with these in eastern Ethiopia.

A health facility-based cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted from September 1, 2022, to October 30, 2022. Health facilities and study participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique. A total of 731 healthcare professionals were randomly selected. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire developed from national CPD guidelines. Data analysis was performed using the STATA statistical package version 14. A logistic regression model was used to assess the association between predictors and the outcome variable. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated to determine the strength of the association. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

In this study, 731 healthcare workers participated. Among them, 65.80% (95% CI: 62.35%, 69.24%) had knowledge of CPD, and 79.48% (CI95% 76.54, 82.41) expressed a strong perceived need for CPD. Female healthcare workers [AOR: 0.54 (95% CI: 0.37, 0.78)] and lack of internet access [AOR: 0.68 (95% CI: 0.47–0.97)] were predictors of knowledge of CPD. Age above 35 [AOR: 0.39 (95% CI: 0.17, 0.91)] and being female [AOR: 0.59 (95% CI: 0.40–0.87)] were predictors of a strong perceived need for CPD.

The study found that there was a low level of knowledge about Continuing Professional Development among healthcare workers. The perceived needs of healthcare workers varied. It is important for health sectors and stakeholders to prioritize developing strategies that address knowledge gaps, particularly among female healthcare workers, improve access to the Internet for CPD resources, and address the diverse needs of professionals for effective CPD implementation.