Practice-based small group learning: how health professionals view their intention to change and the process of implementing change in practice.

Commitment-to-change (CTC) strategies used as part of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes have been found to influence changes in the clinical practice of health professionals. However, there is an unquestioned usage of the term 'commitment' to describe the statements made by learners specifying the changes they intend to make following CPD programmes. The Practice-based Small Group Learning (PBSGL) programme is one approach to the CPD of health professionals that includes a CTC instrument.

The Practice-based Small Group Learning programme: experiences of learners in multi-professional groups.

This study describes the experiences of General Practitioners (GPs) and Practice Nurses (PNs) as they came together and engaged in the Practice-based Small Group Learning (PBSGL) programme. Based on principles of adult and small group learning, PBSGL, which was developed in Canada, was used for the first time for the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of multi-professional groups in the UK. The findings detail the main reasons GPs and PNs participated in PBSGL, the nature of interaction and development of cohesion in the groups, factors influencing contribution to discussions, the learning process, and outcomes for learners.

Requesting a commitment to change: conditions that produce behavioral or attitudinal commitment.

There is a lack of clarity in the conceptualization of commitment underlying the commitment to change (CTC) procedure used by organizers of continuing education in the health professions. This article highlights the two distinct conceptualizations of commitment that have emerged in the literature outside health care education and practice. The distinction is important because different antecedent conditions produce different types and dimensions of commitment.