Teaching Methods Used by General Practitioners’ Continuing Education Programs in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences

Introduction. Considering the fundamental role of teaching methods in promoting the quality of education, the emphasis on the necessity of a revise in teaching methods used by continuing education programs, and insufficient observantional studies about teaching process, this research was designed to study the teaching methods of continuing medical education (CME) programs in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences based on establishment, continuing, effectiveness, and concluding the communication. Methods. This study was performed as field research. The data gathering method was observation. The vali- dity and reliability of the observation form was confirmed by content validity and test/re-test. The researcher observed 89 CME programs including seminars, conferences, congresses and composed programs. The data was analyzed by SPSS software. Frequency distribution of all factors was calculated. Results. The results concerning the teaching factors revealed that, in establishment of communication more than half of the teaching methods and in continuing the communication more than two third were weak and very weak. Forty percent of teachings in continuing the communication and more than 50% in concluding the communication were good and very good. Also, in most cases, "lecture" was used as the main teaching method in CME programs, but in some programs, question/answer, case presentation and demonstration methods of teaching were also used. Conclusion. The teaching methods of CME programs need a serious revise. In order to improve the quality of continuing education, it is recommended to train faculty members regarding the process of education, teaching, adult learning theory and new models of teaching.