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Research Reports |
We thank Brennan for his commentary and insightful perspectives concerning the significant relationship between continuing education (CE) for physical therapists and quality of patient care. We appreciate the opportunity to respond.
We concur that linking CE to the delivery of patient care is essential and agree that CE should be viewed as an opportunity to change practice in ways that will improve the quality of patient care. Brennan infers, however, that physical therapists’ perceptions toward CE are less critical than examining the linkage between CE and the delivery of patient care. From our perspective, both are worthy of investigation. Arguably, each is important in its own right, and each contributes to an improved understanding of the CE process.
Adult education and CE have been described as "a human endeavor, a social practice of human interaction that depends significantly upon its practitioners’ assumptions, values, and experiences to shape practical actions, actions themselves that are profoundly affected by the larger socio-cultural-economic-political conditions in which they take place."1 We acknowledge that the end goal should focus on linking CE with patient outcomes, but this was not the purpose of the present investigation. Rather, recognizing that CE, as a human endeavor, is affected by physical therapists’ perceptions, we focused our efforts on: (1) identifying the variables that physical therapists negotiate when engaging in CE and (2) investigating the workplace influence on CE.
We state "the need to remain current in the field and engage in lifelong learning has unquestionable importance"2 and acknowledge that opinions among professionals on the role and effectiveness of CE differ. We have not, however, equated CE with having unquestionable importance and agree that CE that is not based on evidence and does not ultimately address improvements in patient outcomes can and should be questioned. We do not believe that we suggested otherwise at any point in our article.
Physical therapists, as consumers and implementers of CE findings, have a critical role to play in the CE process. If CE is going improve patient outcomes, physical therapists must assess the merits of CE and select CE activities that have the potential to offer the most success.3–5 Understanding the variables associated with physical therapists’ engagement in CE does not minimize the importance of linking CE and patient outcomes, but, in our view, enhances the likelihood that this link can occur. Findings from the present investigation strongly suggest that employment environments appear to be influential in how physical therapists perceive CE. Therefore, employers, in conjunction with physical therapists, appear well positioned to actively bring patient outcomes to the forefront of CE discussions.
Brennan expressed concern that our results "never once portray the therapists’ concern that CE somehow relates to patient care." This was not discussed, as it was neither the purpose nor a finding of the present investigation.2 In an upcoming article6 focusing on physical therapists’ perceptions of the role and effectiveness of CE, physical therapists acknowledge the importance of incorporating evidence-based findings into CE opportunities. Furthermore, they report attending CE out of a sense of professional obligation, noting the importance of the quality of care and desiring the fastest outcomes for their patients.
We believe the current article provides valuable insight regarding the variables associated with engaging in CE and the elements of the employment environments that foster CE. Considering these findings, employers, physical therapists, and researchers must continually assess the merits of CE, promote CE activities that aim to improve quality of patient care, and assess patient outcomes.
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