Evaluation of the impact of training in the health sector

Abstract

The impact of training refers to the effects generated by training in the organization. In this paper we present a research on the impact of several training programs framed in a Training Plan on Rational Use of Medicines in the region of Catalonia (in the northeast of Spain), where almost 3000 health professionals participated. The aim is to evaluate if the training of doctors and nurses decreases the public expenditure  on drugs. The results show that training has not the impact expected on the prescription of medicines, because there are other factors of health organizations that seriously limit the impact of training. These results lead us to carry out proposals for the improvement of the effectiveness of the training programs evaluated, and in parallel to reflect upon the methodological implications and techniques of the evaluation of the impact of training.