ArticleBMC medical education2025
A scoping review of the use of behavioral theories in health professionals' continuing professional development research.
Article in BMC medical education, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Designing complex health system interventions: an integrated theory-informed approach.Frontiers in health services · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionContinuing Professional Development (CPD) is critical for maintaining healthcare professionals' competencies and ensuring high-quality care. Despite its importance, the application of behavioral theories in CPD is limited. This scoping review maps the use of behavioral theories in CPD for health professionals, identifies gaps, and provides recommendations for future research.
methodJoanna Briggs Institute guidelines and the PRISMA-ScR framework guided this review. Databases including PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, ERIC, APA PscyARTICLES and ProQuest Central were searched up to September 2024. Two independent reviewers screened and assessed the articles, with disagreements resolved through consensus. A total of 4,051 records were retrieved, 1,900 were screened after duplicates were removed, and 12 studies reporting the use of behavioral theory in CPD met the inclusion criteria.
resultsOf the 12 included studies, the Theory of Planned Behavior was the most frequently applied theory. Behavioral theories were often used superficially for questionnaire design or predicting CPD participation. There was limited use of comprehensive frameworks like the Theoretical Domains Framework and minimal representation of healthcare professions other than pharmacists. DISCUSSION: There is limited use of behavioral theories in CPD research and a lack of diverse study designs. Most studies applied behavioral theories superficially, without fully leveraging their potential to guide intervention development and evaluation. The findings align with previous research, suggesting a stronger theoretical foundation is needed to enhance understanding of CPD outcomes.
conclusionThere is a need for more rigorous research designs, greater theoretical justification, and broader inclusion of healthcare professions in CPD research. Future studies should adopt multi-theoretical frameworks and employ longitudinal and randomized controlled trial designs to better understand the impact of behavioral theories on CPD outcomes. Such advancements will help develop more effective CPD interventions, ultimately improving health professionals' performance and patient care.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.