Public Health Performance Assessment under the Internal Performance Agreements of Phetchaburi Provincial Public Health Office

Abstract

This mixed-method research aimed to evaluate opinions and satisfaction towards the situation of public health performance and investigate facilitating factors, problems, and barriers of performance assessment under the internal performance agreement of Phetchaburi provincial public health office. CIPPP Model was implemented in public health operation in Phetchaburi province. The samples were 78 public health officers who worked in the policy and planning department, Phetchaburi provincial public health office consisting of 22 head of the department and 56 health staffs. Data was collected using opinion and satisfaction towards public health performance questionnaires. Focus groups were used to obtain further information via a semi-structured questionnaire. Quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution, percentage, average score and standard deviation. Qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis. 

The results showed that the overall public health performance under the internal performance agreement of Phetchaburi provincial public health office passed in all four aspects. The overall mean score of the head of the departments’ opinions was at high level 3.94 (SD= 0.52) and health staffs’ opinions was 3.95 (SD= 0.51). The overall mean score of the head of the departments’ satisfaction was 3.98 (SD= 0.49) and health staffs’ satisfaction was 3.99 (SD= 0.50). Facilitating factors in public health performance were personnel administration, organizational culture, and administration. The problems and barriers in public health performance assessment were too may the performance assessment indicators and difficult to implement as the input factors. Concerning process factor, the assessment guidelines in each team were inconsistent leading to confusion and bias. Moreover, person in charge did not send information back to health staffs for resolving the problem as the planning factor. This study suggests that policy and evaluation model appropriated with context in each area should be developed. The directors should build understanding to all health personnel and develop person in charge and health staffs’ capability such as meeting, training/seminar or explaining about criteria and indicators.