Development of Competency Indicators and Competency Assessment for Investigation and Control of Dangerous Communicable Diseases among Communicable Disease Control Unit (CDCU) Officers in Health Region 7

Abstract

The objective of this research and development (R&D) study was to develop competency indicators and assess the competencies related to the investigation and control of dangerous communicable diseases among officers of the Communicable Disease Control Unit (CDCU) in Health Region 7. The study was conducted in two parts. Part 1 focused on developing competency indicators for disease investigation and control that align with current public health conditions and cover core responsibilities. As a result, five core competency domains and fifteen performance indicators were identified. Part 2 assessed the competencies of CDCU officers in Health Region 7. A sample of 236 officers was selected using a simple random sampling method from 23 districts, proportionally representing each province in the region. Data were collected using the developed assessment tool. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including percentage, mean, and median. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to validate the competency model. The results showed that in Part 1, the developed indicators revealed that the component with the highest factor loading was communicable disease control, accounting for 88.6% of the explanatory variance. The component with the lowest factor loading was academic potential, accounting for 13.8%. In Part 2, the competency assessment regarding outbreak investigation and control revealed that 73.73% of CDCU officers had overall knowledge at the basic level. The assessment of five core competencies yielded the following results: 1) academic potential was at a good level (47.46%), 2) practical skills were at a basic level (36.86%), 3) outbreak investigation was at a basic level (58.05%), 4) communicable disease control was at a basic level (41.95%), and 5) personal attributes were at a good level (38.14%). The competencies most in need of improvement, based on specific indicators, were outbreak investigation report writing and academic development in epidemiology. Therefore, it is essential to strengthen the competencies of officers in outbreak investigation report writing and dissemination of findings through academic publications.