Maximizing Health Care Advisory Board Expertise. A Delphi Survey Approach

Health Care Advisory Boards provide organizations with knowledge, expertise and feedback on industry trends and issues, and supply focused recommendations on how to best address these in today's fast paced and resource challenged environment. A Delphi survey approach is useful to enhance the depth and support of recommended program, system, and policy responses to the community health and welfare issues from an organizational and leadership perspective. To improve community involvement to enhance health promotion, prevention and overall health outcomes, quality higher education plays a critical role to provide the educational foundation that focuses on community leadership, policy advocacy, and network development.

This session introduces the Delphi approach utilized to maximize the time and knowledge of Advisory Board members to enhance the curriculum of a public health program. The overarching purpose was to provide guidelines on approaches to integrate best practices and measures within a professionally-focused curriculum that correlate to the managerial and leadership skills needed to embrace both operational management and community advocacy. Key findings included the importance of developing professional skills that support a system wide commitment and community focused approach to evidenced based health care leadership. The outcomes of institutional sponsored health promotion and prevention initiatives are enhanced as community members take an active role in their development and implementation. An analysis of the results of the Delphi survey will be presented, and their practical application to the field of higher education and community health care leadership with improved participatory and network building skills will be discussed.