A self-reported measurement scale on a potential component of competency in the healthcare staff engaged in the prevention and control of non-communicable disease in Fiji

• Published in: BMC health services research Vol. 19; no. 1; p. 838
• Main Authors: Ishikawa, M, Nomura, M, Miyoshi, M, Nishi, N, Yokoyama, T, Miura, H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 14.11.2019; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis; Clinical Competence - standards; Cognition & reasoning; Communicable diseases; Community; Competency; Control; Developing countries; Dietitians; Disease prevention; Employee development; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Female; Fiji; Fiji - epidemiology; Health care; Health services; Health Surveys; Healthcare staff; Hospitals; Humans; LDCs; Male; Maternal & child health; Measurement; Medical personnel; Non-communicable diseases; Noncommunicable Diseases - prevention & control; Nurses; Nursing; Nursing skills; Prevention; Public health; Public Health Practice - standards; Questionnaires; Self Report; Social factors; Workers; Fiji; Healthcare staff; Social factors; Fiji; Non-communicable diseases; Competency
• ISSN: 1472-6963; 1472-6963
• DOI: 10.1186/s12913-019-4695-8

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 80% or more deaths in Pacific island countries, including Fiji, were related to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Although competency-based approaches have been effective for developing healthcare workers' capabilities, there are only a few reports on competency scales of healthcare workers for NCD prevention. We aimed to develop a self-reported measurement scale on a potential component of competency in the healthcare staff engaged in the prevention and control of NCDs in Fiji. There were 378 Ministry of Health and Medical Services staff members working on NCD prevention and control in Fiji included in this study, which was a cross-sectional survey of social factors, working situation factors, and competency. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to assess potential competency components, whereas Cronbach's α coefficient and analysis of variance were used to assess the validity and reliability of the scale items, respectively. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted to analyze the respondents' factor scores relative to social status and work situations. The factor analysis revealed 16 items that identified competency in four work types: 1) work management, 2) monitoring and evaluation, 3) community partnership, and 4) community diagnosis. The monitoring and evaluation roles were related to ethnic background, community partnership was related to religion, and community diagnosis was related to academic qualifications. Based on the results, we developed a competency scale for the four work types. This scale can help healthcare workers engage in better management of residents with NCDs in Fiji.