the participants viewpoint of continuing medical education courses of shahre-kord medical university

background: continuing education is one of the most effective methods to empower the employees for challenges they face on their jobs. dramatic advances in medicine, rapid cultural and social changes, increasing cost of health care, development of diagnostic technology and a transition in the pattern of diseases, highlight the necessity of continuing education in all medical groups. purpose: to evaluate the effectiveness of continuing medical education (cme) programs in shahr-kord medical university from 1996-2001. methods: this cross-sectional study is based on the questionnaires available in continuing education office, which were filled by the participants in cme programs. results: in the past five years, 44 cme programs were conducted in this university (18planned program programs, 13 seminars, 6 conferences, 5 workshops, and 2 symposiums). symposiums and workshops were the most appreciated programs. of 3357participants, 1712 (50.9%)filled the questionnaire. of these participants, 73% believed that cme programs have strengthened their previous knowledge, 64% noted that the contents of these programs were consistent with their job needs and 61% believed that cme programs have encouraged professional self-study. despite the improvement of shahr-kord medical university ranking among 8 peer universities, the participants satisfaction had a declining trend. conclusion: providing up-to-date scientific and practical information and considering adult learning theory, especially performing need assessment before conducting educational programs, will improve the quality of cme programs.