Needs Assessment for Public Health Competency in Infection Prevention and Control: Importance and Performance...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Infectious Disease Training

Background:

• The Field Epidemiology Training Program Frontline (FETP-Frontline) was established in South Korea in 2019.
• A 2024 legal amendment mandates infectious disease training for government employees involved in responses.
• There is a critical need to evaluate and optimize competency-based training programs for cost-efficiency and effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess educational needs and priorities for public health competencies among infectious disease practitioners.
• To evaluate the validity, importance, and performance of the Infectious Disease Response Practitioner (IDRP) competency framework.
• To identify training priorities using Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA).

Main Methods:

• Utilized the IDRP competency framework for South Korea.
• Conducted training needs analysis by examining performance differences across groups.
• Applied Borich Needs Assessment and IPA matrix to determine training priorities.

Main Results:

• Identified significant gaps between perceived importance and self-reported performance in most competencies, particularly epidemiologic methods.
• Competencies in safety, ethics, fieldwork, and crisis management rated high in importance and performance, requiring continuous training.
• IPA identified eight specific competencies for focused intervention to bolster IDRP capacity.

Conclusions:

• The IDRP competency framework is crucial for standardized, competency-based training in South Korea.
• Identified competency gaps and training priorities necessitate ongoing curriculum development.
• Integration of real-world, field-based scenarios is essential for effective training programs.