Work ability in personnel of the Diseases Control in Emergency Division Department of Disease Control

Abstract

This descriptive research study of the Disease Control in Emergency Division (DDCE), a new unit established in 2018 of the Department of Disease Control (DDC). The objectives of this study were to study working ability of the DDCE personnel and to compare their capabilities in an emergency based on their working and training experiences.  A sample of 49 personnel of the Disease Control and Health Emergency Division were recruited. Data were collected using working capability questionnaires. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and t-test.

The results showed that the majority of the personnel were female 77.6 percent, aged 26-35 years, 57.20 percent, obtained bachelor's degree or equivalent 67.30 percent, were public health technical officers 44.90 percent, and had 1-5 years of working experience 44.90 percent. The top three areas of working experiences consisted of performing direct responsibility for the group/ department (Mean 3.80, SD 1.00), using computer technology and internet (Mean 3.76, SD 0.85), and coordinating within/ outside the agency (Mean 3.53, SD 0.92). The overall working capability was at a moderate level (Mean 2.97, SD 1.15). Comparison of the personal working ability revealed that personnel who received training on epidemiology, management of public health emergencies, and planning and strategy were statistically significant different from the untrained personnel, yielding significant level of .05. The agency should therefore encourage the personnel to have the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their duties on a continuous basis.