scholarly journals Identifying core competencies for public health professionals in Uttar Pradesh, India: results from a Delphi exercise

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudip Bhandari ◽  
Brian Wahl ◽  
Sara Bennett ◽  
Cyrus Y Engineer ◽  
Pooja Pandey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Uttar Pradesh ◽  
Program Management ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Health Experts ◽  
Initial List

Abstract BackgroundEnsuring the public health workforce has appropriate competencies to fulfill essential public health functions is a challenge in many low- and middle-income countries. The absence of an agreed set of core competencies to provide a basis for developing and assessing knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes contributes to this challenge. In Uttar Pradesh, India, where most staff are trained as clinicians, this study is aimed at identifying the requisite core competencies for health professionals in mid-level supervisory and program management roles to effectively perform their public health responsibilities.MethodsWe used a multi-step, interactive Delphi technique to develop an agreed set of public health competencies. A narrative review of core competency frameworks and key informant interviews with human resources for health experts in India were conducted to prepare an initial list of 40 competency statements in eight domains. We then organized a day-long workshop bringing together 22 public health experts and government officials from India, who added to and modified the initial list. After this, a revised list of 54 competency statements was rated on a 5-point Likert scale, with 1 as “not at all important” to 5 as “absolutely essential”. Aggregate statement scores were shared with the participants, who discussed the findings. Finally, the same list was returned to participants for an additional round of ratings. Stability between scores at different steps was identified using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test. Consensus was defined using the percent agreement criterion.ResultsStability between the first and second Delphi scoring steps was reached in 46 of the 54 statements presented to participants. By the end of the second Delphi scoring step, consensus was reached on 48 competency statements across eight domains: public health sciences, assessment and analysis, policy and program management, financial management and budgeting, partnerships and collaboration, social and cultural determinants, communication, and leadership.ConclusionsThis study produced a consensus set of core competencies and domains in public health that can be used to review current training practices, assess competencies of public health professionals, and revise or develop new training programs to address desired competencies in Uttar Pradesh. Findings from this study can also be used to support workforce development by informing competency-based job descriptions for recruitment and performance management and adapted for use elsewhere.

scholarly journals Identifying core competencies for practicing public health professionals: results from a Delphi exercise in Uttar Pradesh, India

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudip Bhandari ◽  
Brian Wahl ◽  
Sara Bennett ◽  
Cyrus Y. Engineer ◽  
Pooja Pandey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Uttar Pradesh ◽  
Program Management ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Resource Poor ◽  
Health Experts ◽  
Initial List

Abstract Background Ensuring the current public health workforce has appropriate competencies to fulfill essential public health functions is challenging in many low- and middle-income countries. The absence of an agreed set of core competencies to provide a basis for developing and assessing knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes contributes to this challenge. This study aims to identify the requisite core competencies for practicing health professionals in mid-level supervisory and program management roles to effectively perform their public health responsibilities in the resource-poor setting of Uttar Pradesh (UP), India. Methods We used a multi-step, interactive Delphi technique to develop an agreed set of public health competencies. A narrative review of core competency frameworks and key informant interviews with human resources for health experts in India were conducted to prepare an initial list of 40 competency statements in eight domains. We then organized a day-long workshop with 22 Indian public health experts and government officials, who added to and modified the initial list. A revised list of 54 competency statements was rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Aggregate statement scores were shared with the participants, who discussed the findings. Finally, the revised list was returned to participants for an additional round of ratings. The Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test was used to identify stability between steps, and consensus was defined using the percent agreement criterion. Results Stability between the first and second Delphi scoring steps was reached in 46 of the 54 statements. By the end of the second Delphi scoring step, consensus was reached on 48 competency statements across eight domains: public health sciences, assessment and analysis, policy and program management, financial management and budgeting, partnerships and collaboration, social and cultural determinants, communication, and leadership. Conclusions This study produced a consensus set of core competencies and domains in public health that can be used to assess competencies of public health professionals and revise or develop new training programs to address desired competencies. Findings can also be used to support workforce development by informing competency-based job descriptions for recruitment and performance management in the Indian context, and potentially can be adapted for use in resource-poor settings globally.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Education for Public Health: A Practical Foundation for Solidarity

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Perkiö ◽  
R Harrison ◽  
M Grivna ◽  
D Tao ◽  
C Evashwich
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Public Health Education ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Rigorous Evaluation ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Professionals

Abstract Education is a key to creating solidary among the professionals who advance public health’s interdisciplinary mission. Our assumption is that if all those who work in public health shared core knowledge and the skills for interdisciplinary interaction, collaboration across disciplines, venues, and countries would be facilitated. Evaluation of education is an essential element of pedagogy to ensure quality and consistency across boundaries, as articulated by the UNESCO education standards. Our study examined the evaluation studies done by programs that educate public health professionals. We searched the peer reviewed literature published in English between 2000-2017 pertaining to the education of the public health workforce at a degree-granting level. The 2442 articles found covered ten health professions disciplines and had lead authors representing all continents. Only 86 articles focused on evaluation. The majority of the papers examined either a single course, a discipline-specific curriculum or a teaching method. No consistent methodologies could be discerned. Methods ranged from sophisticated regression analyses and trends tracked over time to descriptions of focus groups and interviews of small samples. We found that evaluations were primarily discipline-specific, lacked rigorous methodology in many instances, and that relatively few examined competencies or career expectations. The public health workforce enjoys a diversity of disciplines but must be able to come together to share diverse knowledge and skills. Evaluation is critical to achieving a workforce that is well trained in the competencies pertinent to collaboration. This study informs the pedagogical challenges that must be confronted going forward, starting with a commitment to shared core competencies and to consistent and rigorous evaluation of the education related to training public health professionals. Key messages Rigorous evaluation is not sufficiently used to enhance the quality of public health education. More frequent use of rigorous evaluation in public health education would enhance the quality of public health workforce, and enable cross-disciplinary and international collaboration for solidarity.

scholarly journals The Challenge of Digital transformation in Public Health in Europe?

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Velez-Lapão
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Workforce ◽  
Digital Services ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Healthcare systems are facing many challenges, from demographics to multi-morbidities that are associated with increasing the demand for more services. The new technologies are thought to be a solution to these problems. However, to address these problems with digitalization of healthcare it will imply the combination of proper use of technologies, aligned with integrated working-processes and skilled professionals. Methods This study provides a scoping review on existing public health digital services and aimed to identify the main digitalization challenges, from competencies to technology use. The databases of Pubmed and Ebsco were searched. Results 17 papers were selected, and the three main priorities were identified. First, it will highlight the challenges associated with the digitalization of healthcare, the second the implementation of digital services, considering a method to design online service, the third the impact of digitalization on healthcare workforce performance. An overview of the major effects of transformative technologies (e.g. eHealth services, Internet of Things solutions, Artificial Intelligence) on the healthcare workforce will be addressed. Moreover, to what extent is the digital transition affecting formal qualifications of public health professionals? What are the major implications of technological change for future skill needs and competences of the public health workforce? Finally, the discussion examines the challenges of digitalization for public health services in Europe. Conclusions Proper digitalization of healthcare will enable changes in the paradigm of healthcare delivery as well as in the mechanism for patients’ participation and engagement. The sustainability of healthcare will depend on how efficient we will make digital-services design. Key words Digital health, Public Health, Digital Transformation, Public Health professionals, Europe

Strategic Approach to Assess Training Needs Across a Diverse Region

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 28S-34S ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa C. McCormick ◽  
Justine J. Reel ◽  
Melissa Alperin ◽  
Laura M. Lloyd ◽  
Kathleen R. Miner
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Needs Assessment ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Training Needs ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Public Health Training ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Competency Based

The mission of the Region IV (R-IV) Public Health Training Center (PHTC), headquartered at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, is to develop and implement programming to train and educate public health professionals in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Region IV. To identify public health workforce development needs, the R-IV PHTC created a systematic process that included the implementation of a variety of strategies, to gain insights from each state within the diverse region. Conducting regular needs assessments is an integral step to ensure trainings are relevant and meet the needs of public health professionals. To this end, the PHTC employed a mixed methods approach to gather information on both competency-based and non–competency-based training needs, as well as training needs within R-IV’s content focus area of infectious disease. In R-IV there is great variability between the structures of the state and local health departments (e.g., some centralized, some decentralized), each of which faces different funding challenges and works with different service delivery models and regulatory authorities. Moreover, states have diverse populations (e.g., races, urban/rural, migrant/refugees, tribal, Appalachian) and face a wide range of public health priority concerns. Health departments were found to be at different stages of readiness to undertake a training needs assessment due to a number of issues, including their stage of pursuing Public Health Accreditation Board accreditation and recent participation in other needs assessment efforts. The R-IV PHTC approach to assessing training needs within this challenging environment is described.

scholarly journals Engaging a wider public health workforce: bringing public health into architecture education

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Marsh ◽  
P Pilkington ◽  
E Marco ◽  
L Rice
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Public Health Training ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Health Concepts

Abstract Background Current public health challenges necessitate the closer working of public health with built environment professionals. Despite growing evidence of benefits, there remains little progress in practice. Architects can play a key role in ensuring urban and building design is health promoting, however there is no requirement to teach health by architectural accreditation bodies across Europe. Objectives In the United Kingdom in 2010, the Public Health Practitioner in Residence programme (PHPiR) was established to address this situation. Public health professionals are embedded within the Faculty of Environment and Technology at the University of the West of England, and contribute to research, pedagogic programme development, teaching and mentoring. The aim was to embed public health concepts and issues into architecture training, to empower the profession as part of the wider workforce, to improve health and wellbeing when designing buildings and places. The PHPiR was evaluated using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Data was collected (questionnaires, focus group, semi-structured interviews, programme documentation) on a Masters of Architecture cohort (N = 34) at intervals from 2011-2019 to see if the PHPiR has long lasting effects as students enter practice. Results Public health concepts including; inequalities, life course approach, and social capital, became embedded into the architecture curriculum. Projects produced had increased reference to wider health promoting issues and participants thinking shifted from the building itself to who would use the building, suggesting the intervention achieved its aims. Conclusions The PHPiR offers a novel approach for built environment professions to better understand public health issues and the relevance to their chosen fields. This model could be applied to other courses and replicated in educational institutions and public health training programmes across Europe. Key messages The PHPiR influenced the architecture curriculum, improved architects understanding and public health issues and concepts, and empowered them to create more health promoting environments. Embedding public health professionals into training for other disciplines may be an effective, sustainable method for increasing the wider public health workforce.

scholarly journals Constructing a general competency model for Chinese public health physicians: a qualitative and quantitative study

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1184-1191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Shi ◽  
Lihua Fan ◽  
Hai Xiao ◽  
Zhenkang Chen ◽  
Xinfa Tong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Public Health Education ◽  
Competency Model ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
General Competency ◽  
Chinese Public

Abstract Background The purpose of the study was to construct a general model of the competencies required by Chinese public health physicians. This study is intended to lay the foundation for promoting reform of public health education in China, and may help perfect the testing and grading system of public health courses. Methods The behavioral event interviews were used to collect data on knowledge, skills and performance characteristics of public health physicians for coping with public health events. A random stratified sampling survey was used to select public health professionals and workers from different public health institutions in 14 provinces (municipalities or autonomous regions) of China. We then purposively selected 150 senior public health professionals from various agencies and 85 senior public health educators at colleges and universities to take part in the checklist survey. Finally, three times expert consultations were performed to determine the dimensions and elements of the general competency model for Chinese public health physicians. Results The age range of the 3245 participants was 18–65 years old. When comparing public health professionals and public health education specialists, we found significant differences in the perceived importance of the core competencies between these groups. The model was revised several times and finalized through the expert consultations, and comprised seven competency dimensions. Conclusion The final public health practitioner competency model comprised seven competency dimensions: basic knowledge of medicine, public health knowledge, health management and health promotion, specialized skills, research and development, comprehensive abilities and professionalism.

scholarly journals Validación en español del instrumento Core competencies for public health professionals en Guadalajara (Jalisco, México)

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 45-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Angélica Alonso-Álvarez ◽  
Marco Antonio Zavala-González ◽  
Carlos Enrique Cabrera-Pivaral ◽  
Noé Alfaro-Alfaro ◽  
Ana Cecilia Méndez-Magaña
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Public Health Professionals

scholarly journals Addressing the Under-Representation of African American Public Health Researchers: The Flint Youth Public Health Academy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kent Key
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
African American ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Educational Trajectories ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Institutional Review ◽  
Walden University

In order to meet the health needs of a culturally diverse population, the United States public health workforce must become ethnically diversified to provide culturally competent care. The underrepresentation of minority, specifically African American public health professionals may be a contributing factor to the high rates of preventable health disparities in the African American community. Studies have shown that racial/ethnic communities bear the highest disparities across multiple health outcomes. African Americans, when compared with European Americans, suffer the greatest rates of health disparities, thus providing the justification to increase minority public health professionals. In addition, studies suggest that minorities are more likely to seek medical and health services from individuals of the same ethnicity. This will assist in decreasing language and comprehension barriers and increase the cultural competence of the health providers who serve populations from their ethnic/cultural origin. This chapter will highlight a 2014 study designed to explore and identify motivators for African Americans to choose public health as a career. African American public health professionals and graduate students were engaged to discuss their career and educational trajectories and motivators for career choice. Using qualitative research methods, this study was guided by the following research question: what are the motivating factors to engage African Americans into careers in public health? The study was approved by the Walden University Institutional Review Board and was conducted in 2014. The results of this study have served as the blueprint for the creation of the Flint Public Health Youth Academy (FPHYA). Coincidently the 2014 study was wrapping up at the genesis of the Flint Water Crisis (FWC). The FWC impacted residents of all ages in Flint. Specifically, the youth of Flint were exposed to lead (a neuro-toxin) and other contaminants through the water system which impacted them physically and cognitively. National media outlets disseminated headlines across the world that Flint youth would have behavioral (aggression) issues and struggle academically as a result of their exposure to lead. The FPHYA was designed to provide positive messages to and about Flint youth. It is an introduction to careers in public health, medicine, and research for Flint Youth. It creates a space for Flint youth to work through their lived experience of the FWC while learning the important role public health and research plays in recovering from an environmental public health crisis. More importantly, it is a pathway to public health careers providing didactic sessions, local mentors and internships.

Using Social Marketing to Promote a Healthy Diet and Physical Activity: The Need for Training Public Health Professionals

2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 53-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Cassady ◽  
Jennifer Culp ◽  
Mitchell Watnik
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Marketing ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Marketing Resources ◽  
Diet And Physical Activity ◽  
Training Resources

The current public health workforce may not be prepared for the challenge of implementing social marketing programs, as there is only limited training on social marketing offered by schools of public health. Therefore, training programs for working public health professionals may be warranted. An inventory of current social marketing resources revealed a variety of conferences, journals, and World Wide Web sites that either include or are devoted to social marketing. However, a survey of public health professionals who have direct responsibility for social marketing programs indicates that they use these resources in only a limited fashion. Recommendations include marketing current training resources to increase their use by working professionals, expanding the number and location of training conferences, and exploring opportunities for distance education.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document