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PubMed2001

Can health professionals learn qualitative evaluation methods on the World Wide Web? A case example.

The Enhancing Data Utilization Skills through Information Technology (EDUSIT) project trained Maternal and Child Health professionals to collect, analyze and interpret data via a year-long web-based course. The overall goal of the project was to strengthen the technology and analytic skills of the public health workforce. This article describes and analyzes a web-based module for training public health professionals to use qualitative research and evaluation methods that was one of six offered within the EDUSIT project. The qualitative module consisted of six units: overview of qualitative methods, planning qualitative studies, conducting field observations, qualitative interviewing, analyzing qualitative data and presenting qualitative findings. Evaluation results found no statistically significant changes in specific knowledge or beliefs about qualitative methods. However, the change in participants' self-efficacy was statistically significant. Participants' self-reports also showed significant changes in perceived skill levels in 'collecting qualitative data through an interview' and 'analyzing and interpreting qualitative data'. Most participants rated each lesson within the qualitative methods module as valuable, and most found the teaching methods used satisfactory, emphasizing the value of both the didactic teaching and the practical exercises and team project. The most common difficulty reported was finding the time to complete the module requirements while also working full-time. Implications of these findings for web-based teaching of public health professionals are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Cultural diversity and its role in reducing oral health disparities.

African-American, Hispanic and Native-American/Alaskan Native dental students and professionals are often referred to as underrepresented minorities (URMs) because of their poor representation in the profession compared to their proportion in the U.S. population. Disparities in oral health services may, in part, be attributable to minority and economically disadvantaged patients' lack of confidence in the dental profession's ability to provide care in a culturally sensitive manner. Increasing diversity within the oral health workforce is one way to address this perception. However, an effective remedy will require all oral health professionals to devote additional attention to diversity and cultural competency issues.

Cultural Diversity↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Preparing for the unknown, responding to the known: communities and public health preparedness.

More than four years after September 11, 2001, bioterrorism preparedness remains a high priority for federal, state, and local governments. With reasonably flexible federal funding, communities have strengthened their ability to respond to public health emergencies, according to assessments by stakeholders and market observers. Collaborative relationships developed for bioterrorism preparedness have proved useful in addressing other threats, such as natural disasters and infectious disease outbreaks. Major ongoing challenges include funding constraints, inadequate surge capacity, public health workforce shortages, competing priorities, and jurisdictional issues.

Bioterrorism↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Self-reported competency of public health nurses and faculty in Illinois.

Having a public health workforce with a high level of competency is a prerequisite for having an effective public health system. The purpose of these two studies was to assess the competency level of practicing public health nurses (PHNs; n=168) from 50 local health agencies and public health nursing faculty (n=46) from 31 nursing programs in Illinois. The questionnaire consisted of nine reliable scales using self-reported levels of competence in each PHN competency domain. Overall, PHNs reported only feeling competent in one domain: "linking people to services." Although PHN faculty felt competent across the nine domains, they did not report feeling competent to teach any of the domains. Thus, PHNs and public health nursing faculty need education and training to meet the professionally established level of competence.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2003

Health care information technology: better care, better business.

The health care industry is in crisis. From patient safety concerns to wasteful operations to overburdened workforces, health care is ripe for reinvention. In "Health Care Information Technology: Better Care, Better Business," Glenn Tobin discusses the aspects of health care in need of transformation; the reasons why health care information technology is the right solution; and the benefits to be realized from implementing IT.

Delivery of Health Care↗

PubMed2004

A case study in mainstreaming flexible learning in health--perspectives from the bush.

Our mission is to inculcate an ethos of online learning and communicating, moving it from the margins to mainstream. A skilled health workforce is crucial to better practices. Face-to-face teaching still dominates learning across NSW Health, despite remarkable developments worldwide in using technology for learning. Health is slow to embrace this renaissance due partly to lack of exposure among educators and learners, and the fact of course that learning is not its core business. The three staff comprising New England Area Health Service (NEAHS) Learning Services extensively researched NEAHS staff attitudes to fexible learning (2001) and Information Technology skills (2003). Amalgamating these data, with that from the first ever across-NSW Health online course we ran (2002) determined the appropriateness of our decision to instigate an external web-based discussion facility previously not available in health, for supporting learning and for communicating within NEAHS and indeed across Area Health Services (AHS).

Certification↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effectiveness of an emergency preparedness training program for public health nurses in New York City.

A public health workforce that is competent to respond to emergencies is extremely important. We report on the impact of a training program designed to prepare public health nurses to respond appropriately to emergencies. The program focused on the basic public health emergency preparedness competencies and the emergency response role of public health workers employed by the New York City School Department of Health and Mental Hygiene School Health Program. The evaluation methods included pre/post-testing followed by a repeat post-test one month after the program. The program resulted in positive shifts in both knowledge and emergency response attitudes.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2001

Impact of an online analytic skills course.

This article describes the effect of an online analytic skills training course on professional development and practice and discusses recommendations for using this training modality in the public health workforce. The Enhancing Data Utilization Skills Through Information Technology initiative trained professionals in maternal and child health from 13 Southerntier state and local health departments to collect, analyze, and interpret data via a year-long Web-based course. The evaluation of this initiative was based on a model of change for health professionals that holds that training influences behavior by increasing knowledge, influencing beliefs related to the behavior, enhancing self-efficacy, and improving skills. Participants' knowledge, beliefs, and self-efficacy all increased significantly during the course. Participants' self-assessed skill levels increased significantly for each of 12 selected skills and overall for all skills combined. Distance learning is potentially an effective means for professionals to advance their skills while continuing to fulfill their work-related responsibilities.

Education, Distance↗

PubMed2003

Predictive accuracy of rural physicians' stated retention plans.

CONTEXT: The retention of rural physicians is a difficult phenomenon to study because job changes--the outcome of interest--take years to unfold. One common way to study retention is to ask rural practitioners through surveys how much longer they expect to remain in their current positions and use these statements of "anticipated retention" as an expedient proxy measure of actual retention. PURPOSE: To test the predictive accuracy of rural physicians' stated retention plans and test the hypotheses that predictions are more accurate for certain physicians, such as those with more experience, more control of their work situations, and at less risk for job burnout. METHODS: A 1991 mail survey (national stratified random sample) prospectively queried rural physicians' retention plans, and a follow-up survey 5 to 6 years later determined if and when respondents (N = 405, 67.5% combined response rate) had moved. FINDINGS: Retention predictions for the entire cohort corresponded remarkably well to the group's actual retention, with the proportion remaining each year deviating by only a few percentage points from what the group collectively expected. Predictions for individuals were also moderately accurate: 4 of 5 physicians who predicted remaining at least 5 years did so; 2 of 3 who predicted remaining less than 5 years indeed left before 5 years. Predictions of job changes in less than 2 years tended to be more accurate than predictions of 2 to 5 years. Physicians' predictions were more accurate when they worked in practices they owned (greater control) and were on-call 2 or fewer times each week (lower burnout risk). Accuracy was not greater with any of 5 measures of experience. CONCLUSIONS: Rural generalist physicians are moderately accurate when reporting how much longer they will remain in their jobs, validating the use of anticipated retention in rural health workforce studies.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Building academic-practice partnerships: the Center for Public Health Preparedness at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, before and after 9/11.

The Center for Public Health Preparedness at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health is part of a national network of academic centers established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to strengthen links between public health practice and academe, especially for public health workforce development. Since its inception in Fall 2000, the Center has been working in partnership with the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on planning and competency-based training in emergency preparedness (including bioterrorism and infectious diseases) and evaluation. Initial programs with DOHMH included development of a 3-hour orientation to basic emergency preparedness for their workforce. In the wake of 9/11 and the anthrax events, Center members gave over two dozen presentations at community forums, seminars, and clinical rounds, and over 100 press interviews, provided lay language information through community forum presentations and the School's Web site, and developed a database of volunteers for surge capacity. Subsequent programs include bioterrorism response training for clinicians and emergency medical services personnel, incident command for public health, and a study of evacuation from the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Bioterrorism↗

PubMed1996

Information and surveillance systems and community health: building the public health information infrastructure.

The scope and purpose of public health injury and disease surveillance systems will expand in response to the increasing information needs of communities and health organizations. Public health leaders must focus on the entire information infrastructure. Surveillance and information systems need to evolve to include targeting and evaluating community-wide prevention programs. Standards governing exchange as well as data content will become central to these new systems and the emerging health information infrastructure. Future surveillance systems will face challenges in forming partnerships with managed care organizations, in developing new information tools, and in training the public health workforce.

Humans↗

PubMed2004

Evidence-based teaching practice: implications for behavioral health.

Educational practices and strategies have changed very little over the years, and even emerging advances in technology have become the prisoners of traditional academic norms. Thus, while there is increasing emphasis on evaluating and aligning caregiving processes with the strongest evidence of effectiveness, there is little demonstration or role-modeling of this same expectation in either the formal or continuing educational processes of behavioral healthcare providers. This "disconnect" is a significant problem in the field. This paper addresses the urgent need to inform the education and training of the behavioral health workforce with current theories regarding the teaching-learning process and evidence about the effectiveness of various teaching strategies. The relevant theories and available bodies of evidence are described, and the implications for workforce education and training are identified.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Rural New Zealand health professionals' perceived barriers to greater use of the internet for learning.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this research was to investigate rural North Island (New Zealand) health professionals' attitudes and perceived barriers to using the internet for ongoing professional learning. METHODS: A cross-sectional postal survey of all rural North Island GPs, practice nurses and pharmacists was conducted in mid-2003. The questionnaire contained both quantitative and qualitative questions. The transcripts from two open questions requiring written answers were analysed for emergent themes, which are reported here. The first open question asked: 'Do you have any comments on the questionnaire, learning, computers or the Internet?' The second open question asked those who had taken a distance-learning course using the internet to list positive and negative aspects of their course, and suggest improvements. RESULTS: Out of 735 rural North Island health professionals surveyed, 430 returned useable questionnaires (a response rate of 59%). Of these, 137 answered the question asking for comments on learning, computers and the internet. Twenty-eight individuals who had completed a distance-learning course using the internet, provided written responses to the second question. Multiple barriers to greater use of the internet were identified. They included lack of access to computers, poor availability of broadband (fast) internet access, lack of IT skills/knowledge, lack of time, concerns about IT costs and database security, difficulty finding quality information, lack of time, energy or motivation to learn new skills, competing priorities (eg family), and a preference for learning modalities which include more social interaction. Individuals also stated that rural health professionals needed to engage the technology, because it provided rapid, flexible access from home or work to a significant health information resource, and would save money and travelling time to urban-based education. CONCLUSIONS: In mid-2003, there were multiple barriers to rural North Island health professionals making greater use of the internet for learning. Now that access to broadband internet is available in all rural towns in New Zealand, there is a clear need to address the other identified barriers, especially the self-reported lack of IT skills, which are preventing many in the rural health workforce from gaining maximum advantage from both computers and the internet.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMedDate not supplied

MAPP in Chicago: a model for public health systems development and community building.

The Chicago Department of Public Health's (CDPH's) community planning efforts came from a city-wide strategic plan that called for the establishment of a city-wide network of community partnerships that focus on community needs and resource assessment and program development. Using Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships as a framework for planning at the community level, the CDPH supports five community coalitions through the Chicago Center for Community Partnerships. The overall goal of the Center is to increase community capacity, build new partnerships, provide coalitions with access to decision makers, and inform the role of local public health agencies in supporting this type of work. Bringing together a wide spectrum of stakeholders, coalition members work to conduct assessments and develop and implement strategies. While coalitions demonstrate outcomes related to specific strategies, they also exhibit infrastructure-level results, with increased levels of community organizing, leveraging of existing resources, and new systems for information dissemination. Simultaneously, the CDPH has gained new partners in public health, increased collaboration, and more information about communities. These outcomes are contingent on certain elements of success: (1) committed leadership; (2) commitment to a new way of doing business; (3) prepared public health workforces; and (4) community readiness.

Chicago↗

PubMed2005

Competency-based preparedness training for public health practitioners.

The bioterrorism preparedness training needs of the public health workforce have been described in several studies, assessments, and surveys. To meet these needs, the North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness (NCCPHP) and the Public Health Leadership Program (PHLP) at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health developed a new distance learning course, Introduction to Public Health Preparedness for Disasters and Emergencies. After a review of assessment data to identify training needs, we conducted a literature review of methodology and concluded that a distance learning course would be the best approach. The course curriculum is based on the Bioterrorism and Emergency Readiness Competencies for All Public Health Workers. This paper describes the course development process and methods used to make this course an effective training tool.

Bioterrorism↗

PubMed2003

The interface between health sector reform and human resources in health.

The relationship between health sector reform and the human resources issues raised in that process has been highlighted in several studies. These studies have focused on how the new processes have modified the ways in which health workers interact with their workplace, but few of them have paid enough attention to the ways in which the workers have influenced the reforms.The impact of health sector reform has modified critical aspects of the health workforce, including labor conditions, degree of decentralization of management, required skills and the entire system of wages and incentives. Human resources in health, crucial as they are in implementing changes in the delivery system, have had their voice heard in many subtle and open ways - reacting to transformations, supporting, blocking and distorting the proposed ways of action.This work intends to review the evidence on how the individual or collective actions of human resources are shaping the reforms, by spotlighting the reform process, the workforce reactions and the factors determining successful human resources participation. It attempts to provide a more powerful way of predicting the effects and interactions in which different "technical designs" operate when they interact with the human resources they affect. The article describes the dialectic nature of the relationship between the objectives and strategies of the reforms and the objectives and strategies of those who must implement them.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Factors influencing decisions about the state in which doctors plan to practise: additional results from the 2002 Australian Medical Workforce Advisory Committee national survey.

As a result of growing doctor shortages, postgraduate doctor recruitment and retention within Australian states and territories has become an issue of concern. Australia's policy of national self-sufficiency in health workforce supply implies that state medical schools will, at a minimum, enroll a sufficient number of locally born students to meet future medical workforce requirements. This article focuses on factors influencing the state or territory in which doctors plan to practise medicine, identified through a national survey. Independent variables of interest were birth place, medical school and vocational training location because of their importance to medical workforce policy. The study found that the career location plans of Australian-born and overseas-born doctors in vocational training were similar and that 5% of doctors planned to work overseas. Of Australian-born doctors who planned to work in Australia, 88% graduated from a medical school in the state in which they were born, while 78% and 65%, respectively, were undertaking vocational training in, and proposed to work in, the state in which they were born. The study concludes that trainee-doctor decisions about the state or territory in which they will practise medicine when they are fully qualified are more complex than location of birth.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

The 2003-2008 Australian Health Care Agreements--an industry perspective.

This paper presents a public hospital and health care industry perspective on the development of the 2003-2008 Australian Health Care Agreements. The Australian Healthcare Association conducted a national industry consultation exercise from June to September 2002 in the lead up to the development of the next round of agreements. While acknowledging that the size of the funding commitment from the Commonwealth to the states will be the central focus of negotiations, health industry representatives identified issues of equal importance. The AHCA's linkages with other health programs need to reflect that health care has moved beyond the confines of the hospitals. Adjustments and output targets need to provide incentives to improve and reform the industry. The success of private health insurance policy has not yet translated into benefits for the public hospital sector, and any funding contingencies between the two programs cannot be justified at this time. Special priority areas such as health workforce will need specific policy and program responses.

Aged↗