Comparison of approaches and measurement of continuing professional development for specialists in laboratory medicine within four European countries.

Background: This study investigated approaches to continuing professional development (CPD) for specialists in laboratory medicine within four European countries: Croatia, the Czech Republic, Malta and the UK. Methods: The research questions focussed on ascertaining if continued registration/licence was linked to CPD and if so, were there requirements for certain amounts and types of CPD and for CPD activities to meet specified accreditation criteria. The Professional Associations Research Network (PARN) model of CPD measurement was applied to each country's registration/licencing body's CPD requirements. Results: Our results indicate a spectrum of approaches to CPD within participating countries. Conclusions: It will be necessary for European employers to be familiar with these differences and to take them into account for this increasingly mobile European workforce.