Investigation, Recording and Assessment of Professional Education Needs of the Health Sector Personnel in Greece via Delphi Technique.

Background: Continuing Professional Education is an ongoing process which aims at ensuring that knowledge and skills of an individual are constantly adjusted and meet the evolving job requirements and labor market needs. Purpose: The present study aims to describe, analyze and document the employee training needs, as well as to propose the optimal ways of achieving it, in order to contribute to the enhancement of the quality of the offered training, as well as to the further development of the Health Sector personnel. Material and Method: A three-round e-Delphi method was undertaken, using a panel of 103 experienced Health professionals throughout Greece. Results: Through the present study, some of the problems that hinder CPE were emerged (such as the absence of a systematic personnel training plan by the central administration of the State, the lack of financial and human resources, the absence of interconnection between the training process and the employee performance and evaluation). The research study showed that for a better and more efficient health system, health workforce training should be designed and organized through a systematic plan for the Analysis of Educational Needs. The health workforce training should also be holistic including learning objects related to the population, the employees' workplace, the patient and the knowledge, with different priority per each personnel category. Conclusions: The present study can be a useful tool for health policymakers in the field of professional training. In times of economic crisis with the lack of financial resources, upgrading and empowering Health Sector personnel according to the demands and needs of society is necessary more than ever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]