Overview of the Health Communication Curriculum in Canadian Master of Public Health Programs.

Abstract

Competency-based public health education ensures practitioners are well equipped to positively influence the health of the public. The Public Health Agency of Canada's Core Competencies for Public Health has named communication as an essential competency area for practitioners. However, little is known about how Master of Public Health (MPH) programs in Canada support trainees in developing the recommended core competencies in communication. Our research aims to provide an overview of the extent to which communication is embedded in the curriculum of MPH programs in Canada. We conducted an online scan of Canadian MPH course titles and descriptions to determine how many MPH programs offer communication-focused courses (ie, health communication), knowledge mobilization courses (eg, knowledge translation), and other courses that may support communication skills. Two researchers coded the data; discrepancies were resolved via discussion. Of the 19 MPH programs in Canada, less than half (n = 9) offer courses specifically focused on communication (ie, health communication); these courses are mandatory in only 4 programs. Seven programs offer knowledge mobilization courses; none are mandatory. Sixteen MPH programs offer a total of 63 other public health courses that are not focused on communication but contain communication terms (eg, marketing, literacy) in their course descriptions. No Canadian MPH program has a communication-focused stream or option. Canadian-trained MPH graduates may not be receiving sufficient communication training to equip them for effective and precise public health practice. This is particularly concerning, given that current events have underlined the importance of health, risk, and crisis communication.