From the individual to the organization: Factors influencing the implementation of a professional development program in public health

The Health Promotion Laboratory is a public health professional development program which was designed by the regional public health directorate of Montreal (Canada) in response to needs expressed by professionals from local health centers. Combining reflexivity, community of practice and competencies development, this program aims to support multidisciplinary teams in the development of health promotion interventions. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the implementation of the Health Promotion Laboratories in two sites over the first year of the project. More specifically, this presentation aims at identifying factors at the level of the intervention, individual, group and organisation which facilitate the teams' learning process.

The data were collected using multiple strategies including direct observation, trainers' logbooks (n=2), focus groups (n=14) and interviews with participants (n=20). A qualitative analysis of the material was conducted which was guided by a framework based on adult learning, competencies development and organisational learning theories.

Individual (IND), group (GRP), organisation (ORG) and program (PRG) factors emerged as influencing the learning process. Specific factors having the most influence were: participants' willingness to reconsider practice (IND), maturity of the team and managers' leadership (GRP), organisational support, particularly in terms of freeing up time to participate in the laboratory (ORG), clarity of the program's objectives and of the learning process (PRG).

Professional development in public health generally suffers from a lack of evaluation and, more specifically, implementation analysis. This study results suggest that different levers can be acted on to facilitate professional development of public health professionals.