[Accompaniment to improve public health professional practice]

Accompaniment (professional support) is increasingly used to support improvement of public health practices. In the field of education, the term accompaniment is at the heart of a structured teaching approach. In public health, the term is commonly used, but has not been clearly defined, which means that proposals are often not sufficient to support real changes in practice. The present article proposes a reflection on accompaniment in the field of public health inspired by progress in the education sector. The actions of managing, guiding and supporting are derived from the action of accompaniment and are illustrated by the example of the Health Promotion Laboratory of the Montréal Public Health Department. Accompaniment requires knowledge that is acquired with practice, hence the importance of strategically targeting a project which could benefit from such an approach and supporting the development of professional skills. The improvement of public health professional practices and public health management, necessary for adaptation of the health system, is dependent on development of an expertise in accompaniment of the processes of change.