Health Professionals’ Competencies for Increasing Population with the Average 80 Years Life Expectancy

บทคัดย่อ

The objectives of this mixed methods qualitative and quantitative research were to explore the current and future competencies of health professionals prepared for the situation of having populations with the average 80 years life expectancy, and to suggest the proposal for determining the expected competencies of health professionals in dealing with the situation. The focus group discussions were conducted among the 32 elderly samples, public health programs of 8 institutes were examined, the sample size is slightly less than 5 percent and the questionnaire surveyed among 189 health professionals from 4 provinces, including Chon Buri, Chachengsao, Samutprakran, and Nakon nayok. Tools for data collection are question guides for focus group discussion, data record books, and sets of questionnaire were applied. The questionnaire was analyzed for validity and reliability. The Alpha coefficient was between .91-.98. Data obtained were analyzed and presented by descriptive statistics in forms of average value, percentage, standard deviation, and linear graph and paired t-test. Content analysis was applied to qualitative data. The competencies that the elderly expected health professional to have were physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of public health services. Health professionals’ evaluation of themselves was accounted for less than 70 percent in all domains except for choosing the right communication method, the use of media communication that related to elderly community, the right help service to the right community, the encouragement to elderly to participate in health activity, the coordination with elderly leader, the compliance with professional ethics and the awareness of economic, social and environment changes.

The competency items evaluated, average 75 percent of each need to be improved except the cause analysis of social illness, and development tool which will be used on those subjects that lack of competency (statistically significant p<.05). Some of those lacking competency had been already included in the courses, but was still lack of clarification. Highlighted topics included leadership and systematic thinking ability, community engagement and participation, professional competency, local culture, competency policy development and planning, communication, analyzing and assessing health status, budgeting and administrative competency, in order that they would have knowledge to provide services to improve the quality of life of populations with the average 80 years life expectancy.