PreprintArticleVersion 1Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
A Mixed-Method National Study of Public Health Core Competencies in Undergraduate Medical Schools in Thailand to Find out the Need for Transformative Changes
Version 1
: Received: 18 May 2022 / Approved: 25 May 2022 / Online: 25 May 2022 (04:03:49 CEST)
How to cite:
Aung, M.N.; Vanapruks, V.; Sithisarankul, P.; Yenbutra, P.; Rattanamongkolgul, S.; Suvarnabhumi, K.; Wannakrairot, P. A Mixed-Method National Study of Public Health Core Competencies in Undergraduate Medical Schools in Thailand to Find out the Need for Transformative Changes. Preprints2022, 2022050341. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202205.0341.v1
Aung, M.N.; Vanapruks, V.; Sithisarankul, P.; Yenbutra, P.; Rattanamongkolgul, S.; Suvarnabhumi, K.; Wannakrairot, P. A Mixed-Method National Study of Public Health Core Competencies in Undergraduate Medical Schools in Thailand to Find out the Need for Transformative Changes. Preprints 2022, 2022050341. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202205.0341.v1
Aung, M.N.; Vanapruks, V.; Sithisarankul, P.; Yenbutra, P.; Rattanamongkolgul, S.; Suvarnabhumi, K.; Wannakrairot, P. A Mixed-Method National Study of Public Health Core Competencies in Undergraduate Medical Schools in Thailand to Find out the Need for Transformative Changes. Preprints2022, 2022050341. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202205.0341.v1
APA Style
Aung, M.N., Vanapruks, V., Sithisarankul, P., Yenbutra, P., Rattanamongkolgul, S., Suvarnabhumi, K., & Wannakrairot, P. (2022). A Mixed-Method National Study of Public Health Core Competencies in Undergraduate Medical Schools in Thailand to Find out the Need for Transformative Changes. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202205.0341.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Aung, M.N., Krishna Suvarnabhumi and Pongsak Wannakrairot. 2022 "A Mixed-Method National Study of Public Health Core Competencies in Undergraduate Medical Schools in Thailand to Find out the Need for Transformative Changes" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202205.0341.v1
Abstract
Background: With new challenges to the health system, many new competencies within the scope of teaching public health need to be addressed in medical schools’ curricula such as disaster risk management and health system science. The aims of this study were to identify the needs of public health competencies for medical doctors in Thailand and to assess the level of integration for technical collaboration in teaching public health. Method: A total of 17 out of 21 Thai medical schools participated in the national survey. Qualitative inquiries applied focus group interviews of community representatives from ten sample villages and in-depth interviews of representatives from stakeholder organizations particularly employers. The list of public health competencies framework recommended by WHO-SEARO was applied. Quantitative analysis applied descriptive analysis using STATA 15 and qualitative findings were validated by interrelating the meaning of themes from Word Clouds created in NVivo12. Data integration applied a mixed-method Quan-qual approach. Results: 17 medical schools returned the questionnaires (80.95 % yield). The most common regionally-defined public health competencies (in over 70% of schools) were shown to be: Biostatistics, Community Medicine, Epidemiology, Family Medicine, Medical Ethics and Professional Laws, Preventive Medicine, Health Promotion, Holistic Care, and Research. The curriculum in only one medical school lacked Health Economics, whilst Disaster Management was lacking in two other schools. Discipline-based subjects were found to be more prevalent than interdisciplinary competencies. A variety of methods were being applied for teaching public health. The majority of the schools applied lecture as the main teaching method and multiple-choice questions as the main assessment method. Thai communities expect the doctors to get in touch with the community more often, lead the primary health care team through training the health professionals and community health volunteers, and educate the community for better health. Conclusion: Human resource is the main challenge in addressing interdisciplinary competencies. It is necessary to establish a collaborating mechanism among the big and small medical schools and the faculties of public health to improve the teaching of public health to undergraduate students in medical schools. There is also a need to strengthen the health system science and leadership so that future MDs can lead health service delivery according to the needs of their employers such as the Ministry of Public Health and the Rural Doctors Association. The findings of this study may help to identify a national framework of public health core competencies for medical schools and create a common platform for interdisciplinary collaborations.
Keywords
medical education; public health; medical schools; community; global health; human resource
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
,
,
,
,
,
,
