Have the Health Care Professionals Needed Training Competencies to Educate Their Clients?

Abstract

<p><strong>INTRODUCTION: </strong>Health care professional are the first and most important level of health care providers that their training competencies determines the health of society. This study aimed to determine the training competencies of health care professionals for training the clients.</p><p><strong>MATERIALS & METHODS: </strong>This is a descriptive cross sectional study conducted in Mashhad’s health care centers in 2013 using probability stratified cluster sampling technique. A total of 250 heath care professionals in the departments of vaccination, mothers and children care, disease fighting, midwifery and environmental health participated in the study. The research instrument was a check list to observe the training performance of the health care professionals. Its validity confirmed by the content validity. Its reliability calculated through inter-rater agreement with a correlation coefficient (r=0.70).The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analytical tests including Pearson correlation test, independent sample T-test, ANOVA, and Chi square.</p><p><strong>RESULTS:</strong> The results showed that most health care professionals (66.4%) had the proper training competencies in client education. Training competencies were dependent on individual characteristics such as marital status, work place, employment status, age, experience, and history of participation in different training health workshops. The results showed that the training competencies of 166 workers (66.4%) were at good and acceptable level (13.21±1.79). There was a significant difference between training competencies of the health care professionals and their individual characteristics such as marital status, work place, employment status, and the experience of participating in training workshops (p<0.05).</p><p><strong>CONCLUSION: </strong>Based on the results, although the training competencies of health care professionals is an appropriate level, but with considering of this importance for training competencies in promotion of community health, it is necessitate to take actions to upgrade them to excellence level. Appropriate training performance is the most important strategy in preliminary health care. In the present study, the training competencies of the health care professionals and the factors influencing them were determined. Planning for promoting both training and assessment of the health care professionals apart from their general performances is vital.</p>