Continuing education in the health sciences in Spain.

BACKGROUND Employers have long been concerned about the professional qualifications of their employees. Decision makers in the health sciences are no exception, particularly now that they are seriously considering the improvement and full accreditation of continuing education as part of the planned European convergence. METHOD Medical and nursing professionals were questioned about their views on continuing education, suitable content of possible programs, and implementation, in comparison to what four major Spanish nursing and medical journals propose as adequate continuing education activities. RESULTS Responses from both types of professionals indicated that they desire training more related to practice and to social communication issues. CONCLUSIONS Health professionals feel that they need to stay current in their fields and that continuing education programs should be systematized in consonance with official accreditation guidelines and objectives.