ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the difficulties that are inherent in the measurement of cost effectiveness for continuing professional development (CPD) and explores the problems of identifying the effectiveness of this form of education and how the associated costs can be calculated. CPD is a process by which healthcare professionals keep constantly updated so that they can effectively respond to the demands that they face in their daily professional work. Effectiveness is a nebulous concept that implies that it is possible to measure the effect of a particular intervention. A widely used approach to evaluate any educational intervention considers its impact at several levels: reaction, learning, behaviour and results. The provision of healthcare and the effectiveness of an educational intervention have a variety of perspectives. Pharmaceutical companies have traditionally ploughed enormous sums of money to change physician behaviour through CPD, and these educational interventions are also likely to have a narrow focus using multiple approaches.
