Designing Effective CME—Potential Barriers to Practice Change in the Management of Depression: A Qualitative Study

Mandana Shirazi, Sagar V. Parikh, Ideh Dadgaran, Charlotte Silén

1Medical-Surgical Nursing Department, Langroud Nursing and Midwifery School, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran 2Research in Medical Education, Education Development Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
Center for Medical Education, Department of Learning, Informatics, Medical Management and Ethics (LIME), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Faculty of Nursing, Langarood University of Medical Science, Langarood, Gilan, Iran.
University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

DOI: 10.4236/psych.2013.411A005                

Abstract

Aim: The main aim of the current study is to explore GPs’ micro level obstacles of behavior change which affects diagnosis and management of Depressive Disorders following attendance at a Depression CME event. Methods: In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews exploring GPs’ perceptions and experiences regarding the diagnosis and treatment of depression were done. A purposeful sampling to obtain a broad range of views was carried out among GPs that had participated in an educational intervention study three years earlier. Eleven GPs were interviewed and their views were probed in depth to get rich descriptions to ensure trustworthiness of the data. The data were analyzed by using qualitative content analysis. Results: GPs’ beliefs regarding micro level barriers emerged as two important themes individual and workplace factors. The individual themes included: educational and professional, and the contextual themes included: psychological disorders and work place categories. The results showed different perceptions on the barriers between the two groups of GPs, those who did change and had a positive perception of the CME program they participated in three years ago, and some who did not change. Conclusion: The results of this study imply that a number of micro level obstacles were of great importance when managing patients with depression disorders. In order to improve the effectiveness of CME events they should be tailored for the individual and address workplace issues i.e. both individual and contextual factors need attention.

Keywords

CME; Depression; Primary Care; Qualitative Study

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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