Implementation of an international continuing health professions education programme in sports medicine: a process evaluation.

Abstract

Objective: To describe and evaluate the implementation and outcomes of a targeted health professions education (HPE) programme. Aspetar Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Hospital's accredited education programme targets a global health professions audience-those working at the hospital, those employed to provide services at all Qatar's sports clubs and federations and those from the region and globally.

Design: A descriptive process evaluation using routinely collected survey data from accredited continuing professional development (CPD) activities in Aspetar between 2017 and 2023. The evaluation was structured by the RE-AIM framework which evaluates a program across the five dimensions: Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance.

Results: During the study period, 420 accredited CPD activities were completed and attended by 50 772 professionals. A total of 13 557 feedback survey responses were collected during the first accreditation cycle of the HPE programme (2017-2023). The HPE programme demonstrated a steady increase in reach over time, received positive effectiveness ratings and demonstrated a steady increase in attendance rate highlighting successful implementation.

Conclusion: Applying the RE-AIM framework highlighted key strengths in the reach, effectiveness and implementation of the Aspetar HPE programme. Overall reach was satisfactory; effectiveness was evident through perceived improvement in clinical performance and implementation through continuous learning over time. Although not all framework dimensions were applicable to our study, our findings could inform efforts to further improve the HPE programme, serve as a model for similar education programmes elsewhere and bolster healthcare services and patient outcomes in sports medicine.