Abstract
BackgroundPreparing the public health workforce to practice evidence-based decision making (EBDM) is necessary to effectively impact health outcomes. Few studies report on training needs in EBDM at the national level in the United States. We report competency gaps to practice EBDM based on four U.S. national surveys we conducted with the state and local public health workforce between 2008 and 2013.MethodsWe compared self-reported data from four U.S. national online surveys on EBDM conducted between 2008 and 2013. Participants rated the importance of each EBDM competency then rated how available the competency is to them when needed on a Likert scale. We calculated a gap score by subtracting availability scores from importance scores. We compared mean gaps across surveys and utilized independent samples t tests and Cohen’s d values to compare state level gaps. In addition, participants in the 2013 state health department survey selected and ranked three items that “would most encourage you to utilize EBDM in your work” and items that “would be most useful to you in applying EBDM in your work”. We calculated the percentage of participants who ranked each item among their top three.ResultsThe largest competency gaps were consistent across all four surveys: economic evaluation, communicating research to policymakers, evaluation designs, and adapting interventions. Participants from the 2013 state level survey reported significantly larger mean importance and availability scores (p <0.001, d =1.00, and p <0.001, d = .78 respectively) and smaller mean gaps (p <0.01, d = .19) compared to the 2008 survey. Participants most often selected “leaders prioritizing EBDM” (67.9%) among top ways to encourage EBDM use. “EBDM training for specific areas” was most commonly ranked as important in applying EBDM (64.3%).ConclusionPerceived importance and availability of EBDM competencies may be increasing as supports for EBDM continue to grow through trends in funding, training, and resources. However, more capacity building is needed overall, with specific attention to the largest competency gaps. More work with public health departments to both situate trainings to boost competency in these areas and continued improvements for organizational practices (leadership prioritization) are possible next steps to sustain EBDM efforts.
Highlights
Preparing the public health workforce to practice evidence-based decision making (EBDM) is necessary to effectively impact health outcomes
Several of these key competencies are reflected in the Council on Linkages (COL) as being important for public health workforce development and education [7]
There were higher percentages of females represented in the two state level surveys as compared to the local public health workforce surveys
Summary
Preparing the public health workforce to practice evidence-based decision making (EBDM) is necessary to effectively impact health outcomes. An evidence-based public health approach requires practitioners to utilize the best available research evidence, use data and information sources systematically, apply appropriate planning frameworks for programs or policies, engage community members in assessment and decision making processes, conduct sound evaluation of programs, and disseminate findings to key stakeholders [3,4,5]. Using this framework to guide policy or program decisions in public health is referred to as evidence-based decision making (EBDM) [2,4]. While there have been studies to examine the use of some of these competencies in general [10,11], few studies have examined the perceived competencies needed to engage in EBDM among the public health workforce
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