Abstract
BackgroundIn Australia, the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (2012) stipulates that partnering with health consumers to improve health‐care experiences is one of the criteria health‐care organizations are assessed and accredited against. This standard has given rise to a role: health engagement professionals (HEPs). While there are no standard requirements for recruitment into this role, this study contributes to much needed research into understanding their responsibilities and capabilities, and their contributions to engagement outcomes.MethodsUsing a qualitative, interpretive approach, 16 HEPs and 15 health consumer representatives (who have experiences of interacting with HEPs) participated in an in‐depth phone interview in December 2019. We explored (a) the purposes of the role, (b) the responsibilities and work activities and (c) the capabilities required to carry out the responsibilities.ResultsHealth engagement professionals are specialists in designing engagement mechanisms for health‐care organizations to co‐design health services with health consumers. They facilitate partnerships between health‐care organizations and health consumers. They play significant roles in listening to, facilitating understanding amongst different stakeholder groups (eg hospital management, health‐care workers and health consumers) and navigating the bureaucratic structures to influence outcomes. Four major responsibilities (advocacy, education, facilitation and administration) and four categories of capabilities (relational, communication, professional and personal) were identified.ConclusionA list of job responsibilities and desired capabilities of HEPs is provided to help health‐care organizations better understand the requirements for the role. This would help them decide how applicants to these roles would meet the requirements (eg experience of navigating bureaucratic systems).
Highlights
The primary aims of the National Health Service and Safety Quality Standards[1] in Australia are to protect health consumers from harm and to improve the quality of health service provision through criteria established in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders
Research on community engagement professionals (CEPs) has helped to identify some of the responsibilities that are applicable to health engagement professionals (HEPs) in the health context, such research has not addressed the question of the capabilities which are needed to carry out the work
After obtaining approval from the University's ethics committee to proceed with data collection, our research study was advertised on Health Consumers Queensland's (HCQ) newsletters in November 2019
Summary
The primary aims of the National Health Service and Safety Quality Standards[1] in Australia are to protect health consumers from harm and to improve the quality of health service provision through criteria established in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. In Australia, the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (2012) stipulates that partnering with health consumers to improve health-care experiences is one of the criteria health-care organizations are assessed and accredited against. This standard has given rise to a role: health engagement professionals (HEPs). Conclusion: A list of job responsibilities and desired capabilities of HEPs is provided to help health-care organizations better understand the requirements for the role. This would help them decide how applicants to these roles would meet the requirements (eg experience of navigating bureaucratic systems)
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