Supporting your CPD compliance
New requirements, new terminologies and new reporting structures can all be confusing. The introduction of new requirements has changed the continuing professional development (CPD) landscape.
Engaging in learning that is enriching and contributes to lifelong learning requires medical practitioners to participate in CPD activities that are evidence-based, relevant and of high-quality (Medical Board of Australia [MBA], 2023). In addition, medical practitioners are required to engage in CAPE CPD activities aligned to the Medical Board of Australia Good medical practice: a code of conduct for doctors in Australia; 2020.
Are you wondering what it means to have CAPE requirements and how it impacts you as a medical practitioner? The CPD Home team understands that change can be taxing and have simplified the complexities of the CAPE aspects to assist you in meeting your mandatory CPD requirements.
What are CAPE aspects?
CAPE is an acronym of four valuable principles medical practitioners must fulfill within their CPD year:
CAPE ensures medical practitioners are participating in CPD activities with the view of improving the health of a wider population whilst observing and practising the principles of ethical conduct (MBA, 2020).
Culturally Safe Practice
Australia is culturally and linguistically diverse (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW], 2023). With a growing population of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds instilling culturally safe practices is critical in improving health outcomes of Australian.
Culturally safe practice is defined by the MBA (2020, pp. 10) as
“the ongoing critical reflection of health practitioner knowledge, skills, attitudes, practising behaviours and power differentials in delivering safe, accessible and responsive healthcare free of racism”.
Culturally safe practice synergistically combines cultural awareness, cultural sensitivity, safe practice, and safe care to deliver healthcare that is patient-centred for all communities (Brumpton et al., 2022).
CPD Home supports medical practitioners in delivering equitable culturally safe and responsive care through the provision of robust CPD activities that address health inequities. For example, the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) provides a Cultural Awareness - An introduction to cultural safety online learning module and an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Safety in Clinical Practice workshop that demonstrates the synergistic core of culturally safe practice.
CPD activities that address the culturally safe practice CAPE requirement can be found in the Catalogue.
Addressing Health Inequities
Every person is entitled to high-quality care. Equitable healthcare constitutes “the provision of that does not vary in quality because of personal characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and socioeconomic status” (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2022).
Medical practitioners play a crucial role in addressing disparities to change healthcare delivery and improve outcomes for each person. CPD Home has curated CPD activities to assist you in addressing the health inequities CAPE requirements. The Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) Out-of-pocket fees for health care in Australia: implications for equity is an example of a CPD activity that addresses health inequities from a socio-economic perspective.
CPD activities across the varying factors contributing to addressing health inequities can be found in our Catalogue.
Professionalism
Medical practitioners are trusted pillars of society. Professionalism is an indispensable element of good medical practice (MBA, 2020), and is pivotal in enhancing doctor-patient relationships, enhancing health outcomes and overall patient satisfaction (Tay et al., 2020). Professionalism consists of a set of the duties, qualities and values embedded in medical practitioners to address the health care needs of individuals and communities, along with a commitment to maintaining their skills, knowledge and refinement of their clinical judgement to deliver best practice models of care (MBA, 2020).
Elevating this CAPE aspect can be undertaken from various viewpoints. For example, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) provides an online learning module on Maintaining clear sexual boundaries between doctors and patients, and conduct of patient examination, which provides a professional conduct viewpoint, whilst MJA’s Priorities for Professionalism: what do surgeons think? provides a specialist perspective.
The CPD Home Catalogue aims to provide its subscribers with CPD activities that address all components of the professionalism CAPE aspect.
Ethical Practice
Ethical practice is the underpinning of the principles of care (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care [ACSQHC], 2023). Daily, medical practitioners are at the forefront of mitigating ethical dilemmas as they care for their patients.
The AMA’s online learning module Code of Ethics provides the underpinning principles of engaging with patients, colleagues and understanding the AMA Code of Ethics. Other CPD activities addressing ethical practice, such as Do doctors still risk their lives to save the lives of their patients? can be found in the Catalogue.
Meeting your CAPE requirements
Medical practitioners are required to complete CPD activities consisting of one or more CAPE aspects. For example, the MJA podcast Improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes, with Professor James Ward addresses two CAPE aspects in one activity. The CPD Home ‘Dashboard’ tracks and ensures subscribers are meeting their CAPE requirements within their CPD Year.
Further CAPE CPD activities can be found in the CPD Home Catalogue. Alternatively, our friendly CPD Home staff can offer further guidance.
References:
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2022). Six domains of healthcare quality. https://www.ahrq.gov/talkingquality/measures/six-domains.html
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2023). Culturally and linguistically diverse Australians. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data
Brumpton, K., Ward, R., Evans, R., Neill, H., Woodall, H., McArthur, L., & Sen Gupta, T. (2023). Assessing cultural safety in general practice consultations for Indigenous patients: protocol for a mixed methods sequential embedded design study. BMC Medical Education, 23:306, 1-12.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04249-6
Medical Board of Australia. (2023). Continuing Professional Development.
https://www.medicalboard.gov.au/Professional-Performance-Framework/CPD
Medical Board of Australia. (2020). Good medical practice: a code of conduct for doctors in Australia. https://www.medicalboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Policies/Code-of-conduct
Tay, K. T., Ng, S., Hee, J. M., Chia, E. W. Y., Vythilingam, D., Ong, Y. T., Chiam, M., Chin, A. M. C., Fong, W., Wijaya, L., Toh, Y. P., Mason, S., & Krishna, L. K. R. (2020). Assessing Professionalism in Medicine – A Scoping Review of Assessment Tools from 1990 to 2018. Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development, 7.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2382120520955159
