A report on the technical discussions on continuing education of health personnel and its evaluation, held at the 1979 session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Europe is presented. For medical practitioners, a wide range of programs and systems is offered, depending on the social and political organization of the country concerned, and upon tradition. Continuing education is sometimes state organized, as an integral part of the service work of the professional, while in other countries it is voluntary. It is suggested that there is a need to define the objectives of continuing education to promote effective planning and evaluation. Continuing education is organized at national, regional, and local levels. It is emphasized that however continuing education is organized, it must be related to working conditions, local requirements, and the existing level of competence. Evaluation is the major problem in continuing education. Either the program of continuing education or the end product may be evaluated. The ultimate end product is the quality of health care, but since this is difficult to measure as a criterion of program success, some evaluation may be made of the effect of the program on participants. It is suggested that there are great advantages in bringing together health professionals from different backgrounds during continuing education. Since continuing education requires the time of teaching staff and participants, it is competing with undergraduate and graduate training. Therefore, it is recommended that closer integration of the three educational components be accomplished. Five background papers that cover continuing education for nurses, midwives, social workers, and environmental health personnel are appended, along with a list of resource persons. (SW)