The effectiveness of online versus face-to-face continuing professional development (CPD) for doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the development of the Indonesian medical learning system, especially Continuing Professional Development (CPD). CPD is a coaching session for doctors or medical doctors constantly to be updated on developments in medical knowledge. The pandemic brings innovation by holding the CPD system virtually. Some doctors argue that online CPD is less effective than face-to-face, while others believe it enhances focus, saves costs, and provides access to international CPD opportunities. Therefore, this study aims to study the effectiveness of online and face-to-face CPD for doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional method with total population sampling, distributing Google forms to doctors ranging from general practitioners to doctoral levels. It focused on their experiences with online and face-to-face CPD. Inclusion criteria were doctors with an eligible and active medical license in Indonesia, willing to answer honestly, and physically and spiritually healthy. Exclusion criteria included doctors who disagreed with the informed consent or had conflicts of interest. The survey was conducted from September 6th to 8th. Results: A total of 62 participants enrolled in the study. About 69.4% feel very interested in participating in the Online CPD. About 72.6% had only done Online CPD for the past 1-2 years, which is during the pandemic period. Regarding the effectiveness of Online CPD, based on the survey we conducted, it can be seen that 29% said Online CPD is not as effective as face-to-face CPD, about 45.2% answered that Online CPD is as effective as face-to-face CPD and the other 24.2% said that Online CPD is more effective than face-to-face CPD. Conclusion: CPD's overarching goal is to motivate medical professionals to become more professional and realize their full potential as providers of high-quality healthcare. The respondents chose online CPD as the most dominant CPD system because it offers time and cost-effectiveness and can be accessed effectively.