2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

331709
Public Health Accreditation's Association With Quality Improvement Knowledge and Activities Among State Public Health Workers: Findings From The PH-WINS Survey


Tuesday, November 3, 2015 : 2:50 p.m. - 3:10 p.m.

Michael Morris, PhD MPH MPA, Department of Health Policy & Management, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
John Hoornbeek, MPA, PhD, Associate Professor of Health Policy & Management, Department of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, Kent State University, Kent, OH
Matthew Stefanak, MPH, Health Commissioner (Retired), Mahoning County District Board of Health, Pulaski, PA
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
The importance of enhancing the quality and performance of the nation’s public health systems lays at the cornerstone of several recent IOM reports. Quality and performance improvement in public health requires both the awareness of the public health workforce regarding the importance of the subject and targeted efforts on their part to implement the necessary processes and activities. The voluntary national system of health department accreditation managed by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) is one promising vehicle for furthering this aim.  

Using data from ASTHO’s new PH-WINS (2014) survey, combined with data available from the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) and ASTHO’s Profile, this study examines the association between public health accreditation status and the level of awareness and engagement in activities to promote quality and performance improvement in public health practice. While the cross-sectional nature of the data does not permit a conclusive assessment of causality, we will be able to assess differences in awareness and activities related to quality and performance improvement among workers in state health departments that have been accredited, are currently undergoing PHAB accreditation, or are not pursuing accreditation.

Findings from this study may inform state public health agencies regarding the voluntary accreditation process and provide evidence regarding its potential influence on worker knowledge and activities related to quality and performance improvement.

Learning Areas:

Public health administration or related administration

Learning Objectives:
Describe quality and performance improvement standards for voluntary national accreditation of state health agencies Discuss differences in knowledge and practices related to quality and performance improvement among state health agency workers Explain differences in knowledge and practices regarding quality and performance improvement among state health agency workers, based on the PHAB accreditation status of their employing agencies (accredited, undergoing accreditation, and not pursuing accreditation).

Keyword(s): Accreditation, Workforce

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal or coinvestigator on several nationally funded PHSSR grants over the past 5 years. The research submitted in this abstract is the product of a study selected competitively by ASTHO to use their new PH-WINS survey data.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4319.0: Impact of public health department accreditation