Qualitative Outcomes in CME/CPD: Exploring Non-Linear Contexts and Lived Experiences in Patient-Directed Interventions

Qualitative analysis is often used to gather insights about learning, behavioural and practice change. Given the rich detail that qualitative data delivers, we are puzzled at the relative absence of qualitative approaches to outcomes assessment in the field of CME/CPD, especially as patient-directed education becomes increasingly tethered or adjunctive to CME/CPD programmes as a way to directly engage patients in disease self-management and improve health outcomes. Education outcomes for both clinicians and patients are contextualised by norms, motivations, and values that shape how learners interact with education activities and materials. These properties are linked to and shape the mechanisms that drive education outcomes but are rarely the focus of assessments that are often rooted in quantitative, positivist frameworks. In order to illustrate the role that qualitative methodologies can play in outcomes assessment, we describe insights from three education programmes designed to improve the health of patients with specific conditions and outline a range of qualitative methodologies appropriate for outcomes evaluation.