CPD Review Project

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is undertaking a project to appraise the CPD recording and review process in preparation for mandatory CPD. The project's aim is threefold:

• To test the process of calling for and reviewing CPD records. This will also allow the recruitment and training of reviewers to be tested.
• To evaluate the how well users are complying with expectations for CPD recording.
• To obtain views and impressions from members about the feedback report provided to members as a result of the review process. The project will run as three pilots, each examining in detail a different aspect of the CPD process.

The project has been limited to 1000 participants, (split proportionally between Pharmacists and Pharmacy technicians. This has been done to ensure that we are able to test the system that has been designed and gain meaningful feedback from participants. The society has invited participants by region to control the number of members who participate in the project. It is important however to note that at the conclusion of the project the society will continue to review members CPD records and that if you missed out on the opportunity for this to occur during the project you may ask the society to be invited to submit your record post the conclusion of the project.

The project will involve the review of the processes and procedures used by the Society to call for, review and provide feedback to members about their CPD record. The project will be conducted in three pilots, as follows:

Pilot A will involve online users only and will begin in October 2007. This pilot will be testing the online submission, review and feedback of CPD through CPD Online. At this point the feedback will only be on those entries starting at reflection or action. Participants from pilot A will also be invited to take part in focus groups looking at the feedback report they receive.

Pilot B will involve CPD Desktop and CPD online users and will begin in December 2007-January 2008. This pilot will allow ongoing testing of the online system as well as the submission of electronic records from CPD desktop and their review and feedback. Again this pilot will only be providing feedback on entries that start at Reflection or Action.

Pilot C will involve all users, online, offline and paper and will start in April-May 2008. Pilot C will also be piloting the new process of being able to start a CPD entry at any stage of the CPD cycle (reflection, planning, action and evaluation). These changes were publicised and launched in mid September 2007, further information about them can be found on the CPD website www.uptodate.org.

At this stage feedback it is unknown precisely how long it will take from the time you submit your record until feedback is received. It is currently estimated that it should occur within 6 weeks of submitting your record for review. The review and feedback system is designed so that once your record is submitted it is queued, with those longest in the queue appearing at the top of the list.

Yes, we will have approximately 25 reviewers.

The reviewers come from a range of backgrounds and include pharmacists, pharmacy technician and others. They have all been through an extensive selection, training and assessment process and as are subject to ongoing quality assessment during their contracted employment by the Society. At various stages it is expected that there will be a requirement for more reviewers to be employed. These positions will be advertised on the RSPGB website and through the Pharmaceutical Journal.

There are in excess of 35,000 CPD records that will need to be reviewed in the coming five years, and the Society are very concerned that the process of submission, review and feedback is working before rolling it out across the Society's entire practicing membership. Once the project has been completed, reviews and feedback on CPD records will continue, and if you are not involved with the project you will have an opportunity to submit your record at this point.

The reviewers use the same criteria that are provided with the Plan and Record document under the title Self Review.