Fit-for-purpose: developing curriculum for meeting the needs of public health leaders in the 21st century

Although leadership is a well-known concept within organisational science, public health leadership is still not well-defined. Further, leadership is not commonly included in most public health training programs. Faced with immense changes in population health needs, public health professionals require a broader range of skills and expertise than ever before. In response to these issues the article aims to describe the development of a public health leadership curriculum as part of the European project entitled "Leaders for European Public Health" (LEPHIE) supported by the European Commission Lifelong Learning Programme. The article first discusses the theoretical underpinnings related to the public health leadership curriculum development. Secondly, its mission and objectives will be discussed. Thirdly, the methodological approaches and architecture of the programme are presented, and finally illustrates the features for quality assurance and the potential for future use in different contexts

Lifetime prevalence of novel psychoactive substances use among adults in the USA: Sociodemographic, mental health and illicit drug use correlates. Evidence from a population-based survey 2007–2014

INTRODUCTION: As Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are conceived to mimic the effects of common illicit drugs, they represent a serious public health challenge due to the spike in intoxications and fatalities that have been linked to their use. This study aims to provide epidemiological data on NPS use in the USA, determining lifetime prevalence of use and defining demographic, socioeconomic, drug use patterns and mental health correlates. METHODS: This study uses secondary data from the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which is a large cross-sectional population-based survey carried out annually in the USA. We analysed data from 2007-14 (N = 307,935) using bivariate descriptive analysis and binary logistic regression to calculate prevalence and determine factors underlying NPS consumption. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% CI's were calculated for a set of selected independent variables. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Our analysis NSDUH from 2007-14 highlights an increase in NPS use among adults, especially among white young men aged 18 to 25. Although the level of education of NPS users was relatively higher as compared to non-users, NPS users seemed to have a less wealthy situation. However, socioeconomic vulnerability appeared to be less important than mental health issues as a correlate to NPS use. NPS users seem to have followed a pattern of polysubstance use throughout their life, which involves both traditional illicit drugs and classic synthetic drugs. As NPS use seemed to be more prevalent among people having mental health issues, the rise in their use may have a negative impact on population mental health outcomes. CONCLUSION: Further comparative research on trends in NPS use and potential public health responses would be instrumental for developing appropriate health interventions, including drug checking, education for users and training for healthcare professionals working both within emergency wards and in/outpatient addiction and mental health services

Revolutionizing the public health workforce: a policy brief in retrospect of the world congress on public health Rome 2020

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically illustrates the consequences of inadequate prioritization of the Public Health Workforce (PHW). This Policy Brief introduces a Call for Action following the plenary session entitled "Revolutionising the Public Health Workforce (PHW) as Agents of Change" as part of the 2020 World Congress on Public Health.Policy Options and Recommendations: In order to revolutionize the PHW, five long-term key approaches are proposed: 1. Transforming public health competencies through transdisciplinary education and inter-professional training; 2. Revolutionizing educational systems by shifting the public health paradigm; 3. Linking public health education and work opportunities; 4. Overcoming the paradoxical shortage and overproduction of graduates and 5. Developing adaptable, multisectoral agents of change.Conclusion: Public health education of the future requires a paradigm shift towards a holistic understanding of public health, characterized by transdisciplinary education, inter-professional training and a closer integration of academia, health services, and communities

Autism and the right to education in the EU: Policy mapping and scoping review of the United Kingdom, France, Poland and Spain

Introduction: Autistic people may have different educational needs that need to be met to allow them to develop their full potential. Education and disability policies remain within the competence of EU Member States, with current educational standards and provisions for autistic people implemented locally. This scoping review aims to map EU and national special education policies with the goal of scoping the level of fulfilment of the right to education of autistic people. / Methods: Four EU countries (United Kingdom, France, Poland and Spain) were included in this scoping review study. Governmental policies in the field of education, special education needs and disability law were included. Path dependency framework was used for data analysis; a net of inter-dependencies between international, EU and national policies was created. / Results and discussion: Each country created policies where the right to free education without discrimination is provided. Poland does not have an autism specific strategy, whereas the United Kingdom, France and Spain have policies specifically designed for autistic individuals. Within the United Kingdom, all countries created different autism plans, nevertheless all aim to reach the same goal—inclusive education for autistic children that leads to the development of their full potential. / Conclusion: Policy-making across Europe in the field of education has been changing through the years in favour of autistic people. Today their rights are noticed and considered, but there is still room for improvement. Results showed that approaches and policies vastly differ between countries, more Member States should be analysed in a similar manner to gain a broader and clearer view with a special focus on disability rights in Central and Eastern Europe

Mapping competencies taught in public health – Experience of the Europubhealth Consortium

International audienceBackground Public health education aims at producing a competent workforce. The WHO-ASPHER framework proposes a set of relevant public health competencies organised in 10 sections (e.g. science practice, leadership, law policies and ethics etc). As part of the Europubhealth consortium (EPHc), eight universities collaborate for the delivery of a 2-year international public health master course. The course includes a first-year, or foundation component (4 options), and a second-year or specialisation component (7 options). Objectives In 2020, EPHc decided to use the framework in order to map the competencies addressed, and the level of proficiency aimed at, by each Y1 and Y2 option of the Master. To that end, component's coordinators answered an 84-item questionnaire covering the whole framework. Answers were summarised by calculating mean proficiency levels for each competency section. Results There were differences in overall proficiency levels between years with, as expected, higher scores in Y2. Options in Y1 reached medium to high proficiency scores for the sections “science practice”, “health promotion” and “communication” with scores of 2.6 to 3 (on a 1 to 4 scale). When compared with Y1 on a heat-map, Y2 options displayed more contrasted profiles, typically focussing (i.e. scores > 3.5) on 3 out of the 10 sections of competencies. Except for the “collaborations and partnership” section, the training pathways offered by the EPHc seem to offer opportunities for a high proficiency level in all domains of competencies. Conclusions The mapping proved a useful exercise to identify strengths and complementarities among the EPHc. The results suggest that the EPHc master course is coherent and offers students opportunities to gain proficiency in most competencies relevant to public health practice. Key messages • Competency-based education is likely to shape the future public health workforce. • The WHO-ASPHER framework proved a useful tool to map public health competencies addressed in the teaching of the Europubhealth international Master

Principles of all-inclusive public health: developing a public health leadership curriculum

This article describes the way in which the international Leadership in European Public Health Initiative (LEPHIE) course was developed, outlines its content, and describes how the earlier DELTAH project informed its development. The project, funded by the EC Leonardo da Vinci Lifelong Learning programme between 2004 and 2007 is now being operationalised in a number of European countries and continues to attract growing interest amongst those still striving to develop their public health systems

Evaluation of the UK Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework (PHSKF): Implications for international competency frameworks

Background: The value of competency frameworks for developing the public health workforce is widely acknowledged internationally. However, there is a lack of formal evaluations of such frameworks. In the UK, the Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework (PHSKF) is a key tool for the public health workforce across the UK, and this study presents the evaluation of the PHSKF 2016 version, with the aim of reflecting on implications for international public health competency frameworks.Methods: A sequential explanatory design was employed. An online survey (n = 298) was completed with stakeholders across the four UK nations and different sectors. This was followed by 18 telephone interviews with stakeholders and survey completers. Quantitative results were analysed descriptively; qualitative transcripts were analysed with thematic analysis.Results: Most respondents had used the PHSKF occasionally or rarely, and most users found it useful (87%) and easy to use (82%). Main purposes of use included team/workforce development (e.g. setting of standards) and professional development (e.g. identify professional development opportunities). Some positive experiences emerged of uses of the PHSKF to support organisational redevelopments. However, 23% of respondents had never used the framework. Areas for improvement included greater clarity on purpose and audience, the need for more support from employers and for clear career progression opportunities, and stronger links with other competency frameworks.Conclusions: The development of a digital version of the PHSKF, together with improving buy-in from the workforce and employers could make an important contribution towards UK public health workforce development. Further evaluation and shared learning internationally of the implementation of public health competency frameworks would support global public health workforce development