Postgraduate Public Health Education Research Articles

Health-related quality of life of oral health workers in primary health care in Salvador, Brazil

This study aimed to determine the level of and identify factors associated with the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of oral health professionals working in primary health care in Brazil. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 96 dentists and 65 dental assistants working in the Family Health Strategy in six municipalities in the metropolitan area of Salvador, Brazil. HRQoL was evaluated using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36). Higher mean scores in the SF-36 Physical Component Summary were associated with younger age, post-graduate education in public health, and frequent leisure time. The Mental Component Summary was associated with frequent leisure time, >40 weekly working hours, suitable dental offices, satisfaction with colleagues, and satisfaction with working in primary health care. In conclusion, the HRQoL level of oral health professionals working in primary health care in Brazil was comparable to those found in the available literature and associated with several modifiable factors. Incidentally, a literature search found very few studies about the HRQoL of oral health workers that use the SF-36 and those found were produced outside the main scientific centers.

Concurrent Field Practice Act as an Efficient Teaching Pedagogy to Originate Public Health Professionals: A Bangladesh Context

Concurrent Field Practice-based teaching methods (CFPTM) have commenced globally parallel with the traditional teaching methods (TTM). The effectiveness of CFPTM in Bangladeshi educational settings has not been adequately studied yet. This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that CFPTM is effective teaching method as compared to the TTM for Bangladeshi postgraduate public health students. Under a comparative interventional design two groups of postgraduate students [n=40 for each group], were selected purposively from the department of public health of the Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Data were collected during pre and post intervention based on a topic that had been chosen to conduct the intervention followed interactive lecture method with CFP. Overall knowledge score (percentage) showed a significant increase in both the CFPTM (Baseline vs. Final, M±SD, 27±12 vs. 83±8, p<0.001) and TTM (27±18 vs. 40±17, p<0.001) among the groups. CFPTM showed a significantly higher knowledge score (p<0.001) as compared to TTM at the final time point. Analysis on individual components showed a result similar to the overall knowledge score. CFPTM seems to be superior and effective to TTM as a short-term interventional tool. CFPTM has been identified as an effective tool for postgraduate education in public health, which offers a new approach to equipping students with appropriate knowledge and skills that they need not only in their learning period but also in their service life.

From pillars of postgraduate education towards motivated and competent public health workforce

Abstract Background Motivation and effective supervision are key factors in postgraduate Public Health Education. On the one hand motivation represents a power that derives and then steers students’ activities in order to achieve their objectives; on the other hand, supervision practices can significantly influence the behavior of students, from encouraging students to endeavor future goals to letting them lose the motivation to continue the study. The aim of this research is to study motivation of PhD students and to explore the supervision practices at the Department of Public Health. Methods A Special questionnaire has been developed and quantitative method has been used for this study. The questionnaires were distributed to all PhD students at TSU Faculty of Medicine. Results A total of 79 completed questionnaires have been used for analyses (response rate 52,6%). The study found that around 90% of the PhD students are generally satisfied with existing supervisory experiences. 87% of respondents mentioned that they have regular meetings with their supervisors and the importance of these meetings are evaluated as important or very important. The study also found that PhD students are more influenced by intrinsic motives and students place priority emphasis on the interest in scientific research and continuing learning experience. At the same time the greatest incentive for deciding to become a PhD student is the possibility of acquiring experience within international partnerships, among them short- or long-term mobility in the Framework of DIKU funded project ,,Georgian-Norwegian Collaborative in Public Health’’ and NIH funded project, ICREATE - Increasing Capacity in Research in Eastern Europe’’. Conclusions The study has provided the insights into supervision practices and PhD students’ motivation. Survey has raised some emerging issues, which are inclined to be improved in order to strengthen the postgraduate Public Health Education. Key messages The research emphasizes the importance of evaluating the motivation and supervision practices in postgraduate public health education for strengthen the public health graduates and workforce. The research highlights the impacts of international collaborative partnerships in transitional countries.

Core Competency of Mid-level Public Health Managers in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has been making remarkable progress in health sector. Despite, there are some areas where further intervention is required. People-centered health systems cannot be strengthened without competent management. Core competencies are the essential knowledge, skills and attitudes required for the practice of public health. This was a first kind of effort to assess the core competencies of mid-level public health managers, working at different tiers of health system in Bangladesh. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2012 to June 2013, to assess the core competencies of mid-level public health managers including Civil Surgeons, Programme Managers, Upazilla Health and Family Planning Officers and Upazilla Family Planning Officers. Data were collected by pretested self administered questionnaire based on competency measuring scale consisting of four grades of scoring. The questionnaires were mailed to 678 managers of whom 26% responded. The male female ratio of the respondents was 8:1 with an average age of 51 years. The level of competency was found, on scale, between aware and knowledgeable. Only 12.4% of the managers had postgraduate education in public health and they obtained higher average scores in all domains. The overall scores of managers in analytical, policy development, communication, cultural competency, community dimension of practice, public health science, financial planning and leadership skills were 2.6, 2.5, 2.6, 2.6, 2.7, 2.3, 2.6 and 2.7 respectively. Some two-thirds (65.7%) of the respondents had short training on different public health areas, and they showed better competency. The study findings suggest that there are scopes of improvement in the competency of mid-level public health managers in Bangladesh. As postgraduation and short training in public health might improve the competency level of the mid-level managers, so education and training for them are thus recommended.

Reflective portfolios support learning, personal growth and competency achievement in postgraduate public health education

Background. Portfolios are increasingly used across a range of disciplines in health professional education to support reflective practice and to help assess students’ academic and professional development. However, their value in postgraduate education is uncertain. Objectives. To identify the role of portfolios in the development and assessment of professional competencies in postgraduate maternal and child public health education. Methods. A qualitative retrospective review of 35 student portfolios was conducted. Thematic content analysis of portfolios was done, identifying emerging themes and analysing patterns. Results. Two major themes were explored – the benefit of the portfolio to the student and to faculty. For students, portfolios promoted reflective abilities and critical thinking and assisted them in planning learning needs. For faculty, the portfolios assisted in monitoring students’ growth over time, identified learning gaps, helped to establish if expected learning outcomes were being attained and provided feedback on students’ application of academic learning to professional practice. Portfolios also offered students an opportunity to provide critical feedback on curricula content and course pedagogic activities. Conclusion. Portfolios are an under-utilised assessment and self-development tool in postgraduate training. They allow students to self-assess their attainment of personal learning needs, professional growth and competency achievement and provide faculty with useful feedback on curriculum content, educational activities and competency attainment.

A Review of Global Health Competencies for Postgraduate Public Health Education.

During the last decade, the literature about global health has grown exponentially. Academic institutions are also exploring the scope of their public health educational programs to meet the demand for a global health professional. This has become more relevant in the context of the sustainable development goals. There have been attempts to describe global health competencies for specific professional groups. The focus of these competencies has been variable with a variety of different themes being described ranging from globalization and health care, analysis and program management, as well as equity and capacity strengthening. This review aims to describe global health competencies and attempts to distill common competency domains to assist in curriculum development and integration in postgraduate public health education programs. A literature search was conducted using relevant keywords with a focus on public health education. This resulted in identification of 13 articles that described global health competencies. All these articles were published between 2005 and 2015 with six from the USA, two each from Canada and Australia, and one each from UK, Europe, and Americas. A range of methods used to describe competency domains included literature review, interviews with experts and employers, surveys of staff and students, and description or review of an academic program. Eleven competency domains were distilled from the selected articles. These competency domains primarily referred to three main aspects, one that focuses on burden of disease and the determinants of health. A second set focuses on core public health skills including policy development, analysis, and program management. Another set of competency domains could be classified as “soft skills” and includes collaboration, partnering, communication, professionalism, capacity building, and political awareness. This review presents the landscape of defined global health competencies for postgraduate public health education. The discussion about use of “global health,” “international health,” and “global public health” will continue, and academic institutions need to explore ways to integrate these competencies in postgraduate public health programs. This is critical in the post-MDG era that we prepare global public health workforce for the challenges of improving health of the “global” population in the context of sustainable development goals.

Perceived value of applying Information Communication Technology to implement guidelines in developing countries; an online questionnaire study among public health workers.

IntroductionPractice guidelines can be used to support healthcare decision making. We sought to identify the use, and barriers to the implementation, of electronic based guidelines to support decision-making in maternal and child healthcare (MCH) and the rational use of medicines, in developing countries.MethodsGraduates who had gained the Master of Public Health degree through the Peoples-uni (postgraduate public health education in developing countries) were sent an online survey questionnaire which had been piloted. Two reminders were sent to non-respondents at intervals of 10 days. Results were explored using descriptive analyses.Results44 of the potential 48 graduates from 16 countries responded – most were from Africa. 82% and 89% of respondents were aware of guidelines on MCH and the rational use of medicines respectively. Electronic guidelines were more available in university hospitals than in provincial hospitals or rural care. All respondents thought that guidelines could improve the delivery of quality care, and 42 (95%) and 41 (93%) respectively thought that computers and mobile or smartphones could increase the use of guidelines in service delivery. Lack of access to computers, need to buy phone credit, need for training in the use of either computerized or phone based guidelines and fear of increased workload were potential barriers to use.ConclusionThere is support for the use of electronic guidelines despite limited availability and barriers to use in developing countries. These findings, and other literature, provide a guide as to how the further development of ICT based guidelines may be implemented to improve health care decision making.

Influencing public health without authority

This paper analyzes the present processes, products and needs of post-graduate public health education for the health programming, implementation and oversight responsibilities at field level and suggests some solutions for the institutes to adopt or adapt for improving the quality of their scholars. Large number of institutions has cropped up in India in the recent years to meet the growing demand of public health specialists/practitioners in various national health projects, international development partners, national and international NGOs. Throwing open MPH courses to multi-disciplinary graduate's is a new phenomenon in India and may be a two edged sword. On one hand it is advantageous to produce multi-faceted Public health postgraduates to meet the multi tasking required, on the other hand getting all of them to a common basic understanding, demystifying technical teaching and churning out products that are acceptable to the traditional health system. These Institutions can and must influence public health in the country through producing professionals of MPH/ MD degree with right attitude and skill-mix. Engaging learners in experimentation, experience sharing projects, stepping into health professionals' roles and similar activities lead to development of relatively clear and permanent neural traces in the brain. The MPH institutes may not have all efficient faculties, for which they should try to achieve this by inviting veterans in public health and professionals from corporate health industry for interface with students on a regular basis. The corporate and public health stalwarts have the capacities to transmit the winning skills and knowledge and also inspire them to adopt or adapt in order to achieve the desired goals.

Lessons learned in a European-Latin American collaboration for developing postgraduate education in public health.

New funding from the European Union (EU) allowed the collaborative development of postgraduate education in public health between five countries in South America and Europe. A planning meeting, two workshops, a final meeting and the use of e-mail and faxes for discussing curricula were employed. One new master of public health in Argentina has begun, plans for new masters in Chile have been developed. A new collaborative module using the Internet was started and is now in its third year, new European plans for distance learning are being developed. Possibilities for collaborative research have been identified and those involved developed a broader horizon and international contacts. The planned grant from the EU was 72,040 Euros. Staff time spent administering the project was much greater than time spent discussing curricula. This is the only publication. Although the aims were achieved, the opportunity costs were great, as methods of assessing European research do not value such work highly and the administrative burden of small EU grants is high. Once a network is established greater efforts should be put into electronic communication, but European programmes currently do not fund such 'remote' support.

Public health education. Developing distance learning in postgraduate public health education. Promoting quality in design and delivery of postgraduate public health training through open learning

Background: Adapting a postgraduate public health course which relies on a lot of classroom contact into one with a high proportion of distance learning is complex and there is little published literature available which focuses on this type of course development in public health. This paper examines the experience of converting the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at the University of Liverpool into one that combines both distance learning and contact time in the classroom. Methods: The methods section is divided into 3 parts. Part 1 (structure) examines the importance of systematic planning prior to course development. Part 2 (process) describes staff training and development, writing, piloting and production of materials, methods of delivery and student support and Part 3 (outcomes) describes the model of evaluation used. Results: This section presents the preliminary results of the evaluation of the new course and implications for future development. The main issues arising from the evaluation include excessive demands in terms of student study time, some inconsistency in materials and teaching, varying levels of experience among students and the importance of ensuring integration of learning objectives where a modular approach is used. Conclusions: The evidence from the educational literature on the value of distance learning is supported by the experience of the Liverpool course. Distance learning based courses offer an Important way forward for academic institutions throughout Europe which are becoming increasingly market driven and resource conscious. They also offer an important medium for the current development of Europe-wide postgraduate education.

New Trends of Postgraduate Education in Public Health in Slovakia (THE FIRST EXPERIENCES OF THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN BRATISLAVA)

The School of Public Health (SPH) in Bratislava was established on 1 July 1991, as an organisational unit of the Post-graduate Medical School, directly subordinated to the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic. The SPH performs both postgraduate and continuing education of specialists in individual public health branches. It participates in the research activities within the field of public health. Our SPH is engaged in the network of European schools of public health, in association with the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER). In coordination with these schools, the SPH elaborates on a system of training Europe-wide a comparable qualification degree in Master of Public Health (MPH). In collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the SPH also organizes training courses and seminars with international participation. The SPH entered into the school year 1992/93 with its 5 departments and sub-departments in the following organisational structure: 1. Department of Health Strategy with sub-departments: Health Legislation Health Education Health Sociology 2. Department of Medical Informatics 3. Department of Health Management 4. Department of Medical Education 5. Department of Preventive Medicine with sub-departments: Epidemiology Hygiene of Children and Adolescents Environmental Hygiene Nutrition Preventive Occupational Health Health Protection against Ionization