Public Health Pronto: Module 2.1

Policy Development / Program Planning Skills

Module 2.1: Introduction

In this module we provide background on the competency as well as context and information about our learning activities via a video podcast (see below). We also provide a context for you to Learn more about the competency and to start a conversation, so please Comment on what you have learned and Interact with others who have commented.

LEARN

Policy Developmental and Program Planning Skills focus on understanding the foundation and prominent events of public health; applying public health sciences to practice; critiquing and developing research; using evidence when developing policies and programs; and establishing academic partnerships.

The public health sciences, which include epidemiology, biostatistics, and the environmental health sciences, create the evidence base that supports the programs and policies that public health professionals create, initiate, and administer.  

It’s important for personnel from all three tiers to understand how the public health sciences form this foundation for public health, and also to be familiar with the historical events that helped shape the field.

The same is true for making sure that the public health sciences are used to deliver the 10 Essential Public Health Services, which describe the public health activities that all communities should undertake. Tier Two (program management/supervisory) staffers are asked to apply public health sciences to the 10 Essentials, with support from those in the other tiers.

Personnel in Tiers Two and Three (senior management/executive-level) are responsible for using public health sciences to administer and manage programs and organizations.

All three staffing tiers are expected to contribute to the evidence base of public health, and most of the competencies in this domain address what is expected of each tier regarding research and evidence. For example, Tier 1 (front line/entry-level) staffers describe the use of evidence in developing, implementing, evaluating, and improving policies, programs, and services; Tier 2 staffers use this evidence; and Tier 3 staffers ensure that evidence is used in these capacities. All three tiers play a role in conducting research ethically -- for example, protecting patient confidentiality -- however it falls to Tier 3 personnel to ensure that this actually happens.

So what subject areas should a person interested in evaluating and improving their skills within this domain study?

For starters, we suggest Policy Options for Public Health, Program Planning Processes, and Public Health Informatics. You also will want to make sure you understand Monitoring and Evaluation and Continuous Quality Improvement.

In addition, you can explore the resourses below to learn more about this competency.

• Public health policy issues
• Policy options for public health
• Expected outcomes
• Policy options and implications
• 2C5. Organization governing body guidance
  2B5. Decision analysis;
  2A5. Public health laws and regulations
• Program planning processes
• Policy integration
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Public health informatics
• Continuous quality improvement
• Public health informatics
• Quality improvement
• Emerging trends of the fiscal, social and political enivronment

COMMENT

Comment on the Presentation...

You can share your perspective on this competency with others in the field by entering your comments here. Tell us how you have personally applied this competency in your daily work, ask questions about the competency, or suggest additional trainings that can be used by others to support learning in this competency.

Click for Discussion Form

If you can't see/access the form above, please email your comments to [email protected].

INTERACT

See What Others are Saying...

• As we receive comments, we add them to this page to begin a conversation. Check back often to see how the dialog progresses.

Tell us how you have used/integrated this competency into your daily work.

• Your introductory videos are really getting polished. I'm enjoying listening to your motivational pieces as well. Who would have thought that I still need a pep session! Hearing them on a Monday morning also helps.
• I'm excited to see more of these videos put out so I can assign them as a group to my class.
• You're keeping things short -- excellent!
• I loved the concrete suggestions for policy brief writing.