Do the current continuous professional development approaches for registered nurses and operating department practitioners within perioperative care meet their learning needs?

In the highly specialised and rapidly evolving field of perioperative care, continuous professional development is essential for maintaining the competencies of healthcare professionals, directly impacting patient safety and the quality of care. This project aimed to assess the effectiveness of current continuous professional development approaches in meeting the learning needs of registered nurses and operating department practitioners within perioperative care in a United Kingdom National Health Service Trust hospital. A comprehensive self-assessment strategy was intended to evaluate the condition of current continuous professional development approaches, identify areas for improvement, and explore innovative uptake for improvement. Using a mixed-methods design, data were collected via an online survey of 76 participants. The data demonstrated significant knowledge, skill, and competency deficiencies, revealing that many current continuous professional development approaches lacked accessibility and relevance. This study may provide valuable insights for refining continuous professional development programmes to meet evolving learning needs better and improve patient outcomes.