Competency-based training for Public Health Workforce

Rationale: A competency-based training is essential to address emerging public health challenges in Puerto Rico (PR).

Objective: Assess the Public Health Competencies training needs among PR Department of Health (DOH) workforce.

Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to the PR DOH personnel (n=1,414, response rate 58.0%) using a paper/pencil questionnaire (91 items) due to limited access to electronic resources among them (25.7% doesn't have access to a computer in their workplace, and 17.3 % at home). The survey inquired about demographic, training needs/preferences, and self-perception about their Public Health competencies (Council on Linkages) level. A 3-rounds Delphi process was used to shorten the number of competencies from 72 to 32. The response scale went from 0 (Not applicable for my current position) to 5 (I'm an expert) (Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.903 to 0.953). Items were added to create scores representing a domain.

Results: Results show that domains mean scores ranged from 5.6 to 7.7 from a 0-20 possible range. Respondents reported that their need for training was high on these competencies: Managerial and Financial Planning, Leadership and Systems Thinking, Analytical/Assessment Skills, and Public Health Sciences. Inferential analyses (ANOVA) results show statistically significant differences between self-perception level of competencies and academic degree (p.05). There were not significant differences by age, years of experience in public health or years working in the Department of Health.

Conclusions: This study highlights the need for a curriculum addressing Council on Linkages Public Health competencies to enhance knowledge and skills of the PR DOH workforce.