Self-Study CPD Points (Category IV): A Guide for Hong Kong Physiotherapists
You don't have to take a course to earn CPD points. Self-study (Category IV) lets Hong Kong physiotherapists earn a point simply by reading a journal article and writing it up. This guide covers how Cat IV is scored, the cap, which articles qualify, how to complete the CPD Self Study Record Form, and includes a sample write-up.
1. What is self-study, and how much is it worth?
Self-study (Category IV) means reading a journal article or literature review and writing a review report of at least 250 words.
The scoring is simple: each report = 1 CPD point.
For physiotherapists who struggle to get away for courses, it's a handy way to top up.
2. Scoring and the cap
- 1 point per report.
- Cat III (in-service training) and Cat IV combined are capped at 15 points per 3-year cycle — you can't rack up self-study indefinitely.
- Core or Non-core depends on the content: if the article is directly about clinical physiotherapy (treatment techniques, outcome evaluation, and so on), it's Core (×1); if it's only indirectly related, it's Non-core (×0.5). See Core vs Non-core CPD.
3. Which articles qualify
The piece must be a journal article or literature review relevant to physiotherapy. Per the official Manual, a journal article you claim points for must have been published within five years of the year you claim the point.
You will need to keep:
- a copy of the journal article or literature review you read; and
- your review report of at least 250 words (using the official CPD Self Study Record Form — see below).
You must be able to produce these if the Board audits you.
4. How to complete the CPD Self Study Record Form
Self-study is documented on the official CPD Self Study Record Form (Appendix IV), which asks for:
- the date
- the title of the journal article / literature review
- your write-up of at least 250 words, in two parts:
- Summary — the article's content and key points.
- Reflection — for example, new knowledge gained, the impact on your clinical practice, or how it informs your teaching of students and colleagues.
The two parts together must total at least 250 words.
5. A sample write-up
Here is an example based on a journal article about exercise therapy for chronic low back pain:
Summary: This is a systematic review of the effect of exercise therapy on chronic non-specific low back pain, pooling 12 randomised controlled trials with around 1,400 patients. It compared exercise therapy against usual care or passive treatment, measuring pain and functional disability. Programmes centred on core stabilisation and progressive resistance training significantly reduced pain and improved function after 8–12 weeks, with the gains holding at three months. The authors note that the type of exercise mattered more than the total hours, and recommend individualising the prescription to the patient's ability.
Reflection: This made me rethink how I prescribe for low back pain patients. I used to default to a fixed number of sets, but the review reminded me that dose and progression should be tailored to the individual rather than applied across the board. Going forward, I'll pay closer attention to each patient's baseline capacity and tolerance, and record the progression of core stability training quantitatively so I can adjust it at follow-up. The emphasis on individualisation also applies to how I supervise interns — I'll prompt them to reason about why a prescription is chosen rather than simply follow a template. Overall, this reading deepened my understanding of exercise dosing and translates directly into practice.
(The two parts together come to roughly 250 words; keep yours specific and tied to your own practice.)
6. Track it with the tools
You can log Cat IV activities on CPD Database too:
- The member CPD tracker lets you add Cat IV activities, scores them automatically, tracks your progress, and generates your CPD Record Form in one click.
- The CPD calculator works out your points on the spot.
👉 Sign up free and keep your self-study points in order.
Based on the Physiotherapists Board's "Mandatory CPD Manual for Registered Physiotherapists" (May 2025). Always check the Board's latest announcements before you submit.