Abstract

Purpose – Based on the findings published in the National Audit Report on the drawbacks of the system of physicians’ professional qualification improvement, to provide the insights how to improve physicians’ professional qualification system, to discuss legal and practical problems and possible legal solutions.

Design/methodology/approach - Relevant legal acts, National Audit Reports, scientific journal publications, internet material and other relevant documents were analyzed.

Findings - Qualification and professional development of health care professionals are linked to the patients’ healthcare quality, in particular to the safety and effectiveness. As the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania sets quality requirements for healthcare services and organizes healthcare specialists’ licensing, it should also plan the need for physicians and their training. Professional qualification should be upgraded taking into account the knowledge, abilities and practical skills required for the physicians’ professional activities, as defined by medical norms in terms of competencies. Health care institutions, physicians, specialty societies and specialist professional organizations also take care of physicians’ professional development. However, in practice health care institutions do not assess the physicians’ competencies. Therefore, the development of physicians’ competencies takes place without objectively assessing and defining the areas of professional activity to be improved. Accordingly, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania allocates state budget funds for the development of specialist qualifications without taking into account the country’s most important demographic and morbidity needs. Until now, licensing does not ensure certain physicians’ competencies and their qualification. When the State Healthcare Accreditation Agency under the Ministry of Health certifies the validity of the licenses of physicians, it is virtually impossible to ascertain that their professional activities and professional development correspond to the competencies established in the medical norms.

Research limitations/implications - It would be advisable to develop a system for assessing the competencies of physicians’, including the assessment of the existing competencies and professional practice. It should be the basis for monitoring compliance with the terms of the licensed activity.

Practical implications - New proposal to improve current regulation on the physicians’ professional qualification system.

Originality/Value - Physicians’ professional qualification system’s development based on specialist competence assessment, physicians’ and country’s needs, as well as clear regulation of the professional qualification funding mechanism, providing resources and responsibilities, assessing the expediency of state budget funding, will significantly contribute to improving the quality of healthcare services and rational use of state funds.

Keywords – professional qualification, physicians’ competence, assessment, continuing professional development.

Research type: general review.

JEL classification: K32.