Study and Development for Professional Standard of Community Public Health

Abstract

This mixed methods study aimed to: (1) explore the elements of professional standard of community public health which included four elements: 1) standard of knowledge; 2) standard of practices; 3) standard of skills; and 4) standard of professional ethics; and (2) study the structural relations with professional standard in each element. Quantitative data were collected from 2,760 community public health professionals and analyzed by Exploratory Factor Analysis. Qualitative data were collected via public hearing from community public health professionals and relevant persons in Songkhla and Khonkaen provinces in order to investigate the structural relations with professional standards.

          The results revealed that the participants, who took part in the survey phase, were 2,272 persons. The majority of them lived in the northeast (29.53%), worked at health promoting hospitals (67.47%) and had their ages between 31 and 40 years old (36.27%). From the analysis of the exploratory factors and the structural relations with professional standards, there were crucial four standards: 1. Standard of knowledge: this standard included six groups; 1) health promotion having three elements and 27 indicators; 2) community health having four elements and 18 indicators; 3) disease prevention and control, epidemiology, statistics and public health research having three elements and 20 indicators; 4) primary treatment, rehabilitation and referral system having five elements and 31 indicators; 5) occupational health and sanitation having two elements and 22 indicators; and 6) health administration and public health laws having three elements and 32 indicators; 2. Standard of practices: this standard covered six elements and 75 indicators; 3. Standard of skills: this standard involved five elements and 49 indicators; and 4.  Standard of professional ethics: this standard included six elements and 55 indicators.