Competency-based education model: a key tool for assessment and teaching in continuing medical education of infection prevention and control practitioners in different hospitals, China

BACKGROUND: Competency-based frameworks have been widely adopted as the dominant approach to medical education. However, research investigating the impact of competency-based medical education (CBME) on infection prevention and control practitioners (IPCPs) remains limited. This study aims to explore the mode of continuing medical education (CME) and to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of CBME in the field of infection prevention and control (IPC) in China. METHODS: A large cross-sectional survey targeting IPCPs was conducted in southwest China from April to June 2022. We used a competency assessment tool based on competency theory, person-post matching theory, motivation theory, and the APIC 2019 competency model for IPCPs in the United States, which includes 4 core dimensions, 11 sub-dimensions, and 47 measurement items, to measure the competencies of IPCPs. RESULTS: A total of 1083 IPCPs from 511 hospitals participated in the survey. IPCPs from different hospitals exhibited varied preferences in the choice of CME, especially in terms of participation rate, level of training institution, and duration. Short-term training of 2-5 days was preferred by the majority. The binary logistic regression results showed that years of IPC practical experience (OR = 6.47, 95%CI:2.94-14.27), major (OR = 2.10, 95%CI:1.41-3.14), monthly income (OR = 2.59, 95%CI:1.52-4.40) and experience in frontline epidemic response (OR = 1.94, 95%CI:1.23-3.06) were independent factors influencing whether IPCPs participate in CME. The impact of the CME were manifested in the enhancement of the competencies across 4 core dimensions and 10 sub-dimensions, beyond the realm of comprehensive knowledge. The competencies of IPCPs in tertiary, public, general and TCM hospitals significantly exceeded that of their counterparts who had not participated in the programme (P < 0.05), demonstrating a significant enhancement from fair (4.13-5.02) to good (5.02-5.80). The long-term education could better promote the growth of competencies, especially in basic skills, organisational cooperation ability and professional development ability. CONCLUSIONS: The competency framework serves as a key tool for assessing the feasibility and effectiveness of CME and can also highlight variations in the outcomes of competency improvement in IPCPs from different hospitals following CME. Strategic measures should be implemented in the field of competency-based IPC education in China to improve the effectiveness of short-term training and to encourage IPCPs to opt for long-term education.