A revamped CPD regime seems likely after the Medical Board of Australia released its consultation paper on its plans to strengthen the system to ensure doctors remain fit to practice.

The big question asked is about the evidence that the changes will improve patient safety.

Professor Richard Hays, a GP and professor of remote and rural medicine at James Cook University in north Queensland, offers this overview of the research literature and explains how it has influenced the board’s reform plans.

The plan by the Medical Board of Australia to upgrade CPD requirements has proved controversial for many. The regime under consideration is meant to ensure doctors continue to remain fit to practice long after their formal training, to the point just before they decide to retire.