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Federal Public Health Workforce Development: An Evidence-Based Approach for Defining Competencies.

ABSTRACT: This study reports the use of exploratory factor analysis to describe essential skills and knowledge for an important segment of the domestic public health workforce-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) project officers-using an evidence-based approach to competency development and validation.A multicomponent survey was conducted. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the underlying domains and relationships between competency domains and key behaviors. The Cronbach ? coefficient determined the reliability of the overall scale and identified factors.All domestic (US state, tribe, local, and territorial) grantees who received funding from the CDC during fiscal year 2011 to implement nonresearch prevention or intervention programs were invited to participate in a Web-based questionnaire.A total of 34 key behaviors representing knowledge, skills, and abilities, grouped in 7 domains-communication, grant administration and management, public health applied science and knowledge, program planning and development, program management, program monitoring and improvement, and organizational consultation-were examined.There were 795 responses (58% response rate). A total of 6 factors were identified with loadings of 0.40 or more for all 34 behavioral items. The Cronbach ? coefficient was 0.95 overall and ranged between 0.73 and 0.91 for the factors.This study provides empirical evidence for the construct validity of 6 competencies and 34 key behaviors important for CDC project officers and serves as an important first step to evidence-driven workforce development efforts in public health.

SUBMITTER: Mumford K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5614504 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Federal Public Health Workforce Development: An Evidence-Based Approach for Defining Competencies.

Mumford Karen K Young Andrea C AC Nawaz Saira S

Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP 20160501 3

<h4>Objective</h4>This study reports the use of exploratory factor analysis to describe essential skills and knowledge for an important segment of the domestic public health workforce-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) project officers-using an evidence-based approach to competency development and validation.<h4>Design</h4>A multicomponent survey was conducted. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the underlying domains and relationships between competency domains and ke ...[more]

PMID: 25575378

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Project description:Current trends in the United States health care landscape call for innovative and adaptive approaches to improve outcomes and reduce inefficiencies. Design Thinking is an innovative approach to problem-solving that leverages insights from the end-users of new products, services, and experiences in order to develop best-fit solutions that are rapidly prototyped and iteratively refined. When compared to traditional problem-solving methods in health care and other public health adjacent fields, Design Thinking leads to more successful and sustainable interventions. Design Thinking has facilitated improvements in patient, provider, and community satisfaction, and in public health, has increased efficiency and collaboration in intervention development. Given the promising nature of Design Thinking as an effective problem-solving method, it follows that Design Thinking training would prove a beneficial addition to public health education. The integration of Design Thinking in public health education may equip public health leaders with essential skills necessary to understand and more effectively approach historically intractable challenges. This article describes the development and evaluation of a hands-on Design Thinking workshop, piloted with Master of Public Health (MPH) students in April, 2019 at Thomas Jefferson University. Preceding and following the workshop, evaluation forms were used to assess participants' knowledge about Design Thinking concepts and attitudes towards the workshop experience. Metrics were aligned with established learning objectives related to process, impact, and outcomes of the workshop. We hypothesized that the workshop intervention would increase participants understanding of Design Thinking concepts and applications in public health. Evaluations demonstrated that after attending the workshop, participants were able to understand and apply Design Thinking concepts in a public health context. Following the evaluation of pilot data, the workshop was refined and embedded in the MPH curriculum at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA.

Dataset Information

Federal Public Health Workforce Development: An Evidence-Based Approach for Defining Competencies.

Publications

Federal Public Health Workforce Development: An Evidence-Based Approach for Defining Competencies.

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