[Core competencies for public health teaching: regional framework for the AmericasCompetências essenciais para a docência em saúde pública: um marco regional para as Américas]. / Competencias esenciales para la docencia en salud pública: marco regional para las Américas.

Objective: To present the Regional Core Competency Framework for Public Health (RCCFPH) and the methodology used for its development. Methods: A participatory methodology was used for this descriptive study, using techniques such as questionnaires, discussions, pair work, extreme cases, jigsaw, data evaluation matrices, iterative reviews, and comparative analyses. The study was carried out over nine stages, bringing together experts from public health institutions and schools, as well as primary health care professionals in the Americas. Results: The primary result is the RCCFPH, which is organized around 10 competency domains, all favoring comprehensive teaching. The primary focus is on the disciplinary domain, along with the educational domain. The remaining domains are common to the teaching of any discipline, but each competence was formulated for use within the field of public health, which is what differentiates this framework from others. It is proposed as a regional tool for use from multiple perspectives. Conclusion: The domains and competencies encourage a new perspective on comprehensive teacher training in public health. The RCCFPH can be used as a tool to assess teaching skills and improve the quality of teaching in the Region. It can foster cooperation among educational institutions and is proposed as a facilitator for a Latin American community of practice to address new challenges in public health.

Objetivo: Apresentar o Marco Regional de Competências Docentes em Saúde Pública (MRCDSP) e a metodologia utilizada em sua elaboração. Métodos: Este estudo descritivo empregou uma abordagem participativa, combinando técnicas como inquéritos por questionários, debates, método de pareamento, casos extremos, método jigsaw (quebra-cabeças), matriz de avaliação de dados, revisões iterativas e análise comparativa. O processo foi desenvolvido em nove etapas e reuniu especialistas ligados a instituições e escolas de saúde pública, juntamente com profissionais de atenção primária à saúde nas Américas. Resultados: O resultado principal é o MRCDSP, organizado em torno de 10 domínios cuja interseção promove uma abordagem integral para a docência. É dado um papel de destaque ao domínio disciplinar, e o domínio pedagógico atua como coprotagonista. Os demais domínios são transversais ao ensino de qualquer disciplina, mas a redação de cada competência foi complementada com finalidades situadas no campo da saúde pública, o que diferencia este marco de outros semelhantes. O marco é apresentado como uma ferramenta regional a ser utilizada a partir de múltiplas perspectivas. Conclusão: Os domínios e competências promovem uma nova perspectiva sobre a formação integral de docentes em saúde pública. O MRCDSP pode se tornar uma ferramenta para avaliar as capacidades e melhorar a qualidade do ensino na região. É proposto como um elemento para fomentar a cooperação entre instituições educacionais e a formação de uma comunidade de prática latino-americana, com o objetivo de enfrentar os novos desafios em saúde pública.

Competencias esenciales para la docencia en salud pública: marco regional para las Américas / Core competencies for public health teaching: regional framework for the Americas / Competências essenciais para a docência em saúde pública: um marco regional para as Américas

RESUMEN Objetivo. Presentar el Marco Regional de Competencias Docentes en Salud Pública (MRCDSP) y la metodología utilizada para su construcción. Métodos. Se utilizó una metodología participativa para este estudio descriptivo, donde se combinaron técnicas como la encuesta por cuestionario, el debate, el método de pares, los casos extremos, el rompecabezas (jigsaw), la matriz de evaluación de datos, las revisiones iterativas y el análisis comparativo. Se desarrolló en nueve etapas y agrupó a expertos asociados a instituciones y escuelas de salud pública, junto a profesionales de la atención primaria de salud en las Américas. Resultados. El principal resultado es el MRCDSP, organizado alrededor de 10 dominios cuya intersección favorece la integralidad docente. Se le asigna centralidad al dominio disciplinar y, como coprotagonista, al dominio pedagógico. Los restantes dominios son transversales a la docencia de cualquier disciplina, pero la redacción de cada competencia se complementó con las finalidades situadas en el campo de la salud pública, hecho que diferencia este marco de otros. Se ofrece como una herramienta regional para utilizar desde múltiples perspectivas. Conclusión. Los dominios y las competencias promueven una perspectiva nueva sobre la formación integral docente en salud pública. El MRCDSP puede convertirse en una herramienta para evaluar capacidades y mejorar la calidad de la enseñanza en la Región. Puede fomentar la cooperación entre instituciones educativas y se propone que sea el promotor de una comunidad de práctica latinoamericana para abordar los desafíos nuevos en salud pública.

ABSTRACT Objective. To present the Regional Core Competency Framework for Public Health (RCCFPH) and the methodology used for its development. Methods. A participatory methodology was used for this descriptive study, using techniques such as questionnaires, discussions, pair work, extreme cases, jigsaw, data evaluation matrices, iterative reviews, and comparative analyses. The study was carried out over nine stages, bringing together experts from public health institutions and schools, as well as primary health care professionals in the Americas. Results. The primary result is the RCCFPH, which is organized around 10 competency domains, all favoring comprehensive teaching. The primary focus is on the disciplinary domain, along with the educational domain. The remaining domains are common to the teaching of any discipline, but each competence was formulated for use within the field of public health, which is what differentiates this framework from others. It is proposed as a regional tool for use from multiple perspectives. Conclusion. The domains and competencies encourage a new perspective on comprehensive teacher training in public health. The RCCFPH can be used as a tool to assess teaching skills and improve the quality of teaching in the Region. It can foster cooperation among educational institutions and is proposed as a facilitator for a Latin American community of practice to address new challenges in public health.

RESUMO Objetivo. Apresentar o Marco Regional de Competências Docentes em Saúde Pública (MRCDSP) e a metodologia utilizada em sua elaboração. Métodos. Este estudo descritivo empregou uma abordagem participativa, combinando técnicas como inquéritos por questionários, debates, método de pareamento, casos extremos, método jigsaw (quebra-cabeças), matriz de avaliação de dados, revisões iterativas e análise comparativa. O processo foi desenvolvido em nove etapas e reuniu especialistas ligados a instituições e escolas de saúde pública, juntamente com profissionais de atenção primária à saúde nas Américas. Resultados. O resultado principal é o MRCDSP, organizado em torno de 10 domínios cuja interseção promove uma abordagem integral para a docência. É dado um papel de destaque ao domínio disciplinar, e o domínio pedagógico atua como coprotagonista. Os demais domínios são transversais ao ensino de qualquer disciplina, mas a redação de cada competência foi complementada com finalidades situadas no campo da saúde pública, o que diferencia este marco de outros semelhantes. O marco é apresentado como uma ferramenta regional a ser utilizada a partir de múltiplas perspectivas. Conclusão. Os domínios e competências promovem uma nova perspectiva sobre a formação integral de docentes em saúde pública. O MRCDSP pode se tornar uma ferramenta para avaliar as capacidades e melhorar a qualidade do ensino na região. É proposto como um elemento para fomentar a cooperação entre instituições educacionais e a formação de uma comunidade de prática latino-americana, com o objetivo de enfrentar os novos desafios em saúde pública.

Design and efficacy of an Ecohealth competency-based course on the prevention and control of vector diseases in Latin America.

OBJECTIVE: To design and analyze the efficacy of an Ecohealth competency-based course on the prevention and control of vector-borne-diseases for specific stakeholders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multiple stakeholders and sectors of the region were consulted to identify Ecohealth group-specific competencies using an adjusted analysis matrix. Eight courses based on the competencies were implemented to train EA tutors. The effectiveness of the course was evaluated through the use of paired- t-tests by intervention group. RESULTS: Strategic, tactical, academia and community stakeholder groups and their competencies were identified. An overall gain of 43 percentage points (p<0.001) was observed in terms of competencies score in trained tutors, which further trained 1 033 people. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of the stakeholders and their competencies proved to be useful to guide training courses to significantly improve the initial competencies and create a critical mass to further advance the EA in the region.

Design and efficacy of an Ecohealth competency-based course on the prevention and control of vector diseases in Latin America / Diseño y eficacia de un curso de Ecosalud basado en competencias para el control de enfermedades transmitidas por vector en América Latina

Abstract: Objective: To design and analyze the efficacy of an Ecohealth competency-based course on the prevention and control of vector-borne-diseases for specific stakeholders. Materials and methods: Multiple stakeholders and sectors of the region were consulted to identify Ecohealth group-specific competencies using an adjusted analysis matrix. Eight courses based on the competencies were implemented to train EA tutors. The effectiveness of the course was evaluated through the use of paired- t-tests by intervention group. Results: Strategic, tactical, academia and community stakeholder groups and their competencies were identified. An overall gain of 43 percentage points (p<0.001) was observed in terms of competencies score in trained tutors, which further trained 1 033 people. Conclusion: The identification of the stakeholders and their competencies proved to be useful to guide training courses to significantly improve the initial competencies and create a critical mass to further advance the EA in the region.

Resumen: Objetivo: Diseñar y analizar la eficacia de un curso basado en competencias de Eco-Salud para la prevención y control de enfermedades transmitidas por vectores, para actores específicos. Material y métodos: Se consultaron múltiples actores y sectores de la región para identificar las competencias específicas del enfoque de Ecosalud, que deberían de tener los grupos clave utilizando un análisis de matriz ajustado. Se implementaron cursos de capacitación utilizando las competencias para capacitar a tutores en el enfoque. La efectividad del curso se evaluó mediante el uso de pruebas t pareadas por grupo de intervención. Resultados: Se identificaron los grupos clave para la prevención y control de las ETVs: estratégico, táctico, académico y comunitario, así como sus competencias. Se capacitaron tutores y se obtuvo un incremento en relación con las competencias iniciales de 43 puntos porcentuales (p <0.001). Conclusión: La identificación de los grupos clave y sus competencias demostró ser útil en el diseño de un curso para incrementar el nivel inicial de competencias y crear una masa crítica para Ecosalud en la región.

La Escuela de Salud Pública de México: innovación educativa y tecnológica en el nuevo milenio / School of Public Health of Mexico: Educational and technological innovation in the new millennium

Este artículo fue concebido para analizar la función de la Escuela de Salud Pública de México (ESPM) desde el año 2000 hasta el presente. Uno de sus puntos centrales es el análisis del proceso de reorientación de la labor educativa de la escuela con la finalidad de responder a los retos en materia de salud y educación surgidos a finales del siglo XX. Para exponer cómo ha evolucionado dicho proceso, retomamos tres ejes rectores que caracterizan la labor de la escuela en la actualidad: el cambio de modelo pedagógico, la incorporación de las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones, y la profesionalización de la docencia. Con la exposición de este tema, y a través del contraste entre el pasado y el presente, buscamos completar la historia de trabajo ininterrumpido de la Escuela durante sus 92 años de existencia, que ha trascendido los confines del país.

This article was conceived to analyze the work of the School of Public Health of Mexico (ESPM for is acronym in Spanish) from the year 2000 to the present day. One of the highlights that we will examine is the reorientation of the educational work of the school in order to meet the challenges in health and education that emerged during the end of the twentieth century. In order to explain the evolution of this process, we will describe the three main guiding principles that characterize the present work of the school: the pedagogical model's change, the incorporation of the information and communication technologies, and the professionalization in teaching. The purpose of this work is to define those guiding principles, and to expose, through the contrast between past and present, the complete history of uninterrupted work of the School of Public Health of Mexico during its ninety-two years of existence, that has gone beyond the boundaries of the country.

[The use of game engine learning as an education strategy in ecohealth]. / El uso del GELearning en una estrategia de capacitación en ecosalud.

This paper analyzes an educational intervention using Game Engine Learning (GELearning) in the project Leadership in Ecohealth for Vector Born Diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean, financed by the IDRC-Canada, and whose training component is coordinated by the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico. GELearning is an educational tool that uses virtual educational games, where participants face real-life situations with clear pedagogical purposes. To learn through GELearning is to simulate situations, very similar to the ones faced in real life. The purpose for using GELearning was to evaluate it as an educational tool, to know the learning impact in participants, as well as to measure how GELearning favored the acquisition of competencies. The results indicate that this tool, besides the benefits already known from the information and communications technologies, contributes to significant learning in an environment that is attractive and stimulating for participants and favors the acquisition of competencies, especially those linked to superior taxonomic levels, which are associated to knowing "how to do" and "how to be".

[School of Public Health of Mexico: educational and technological innovation in the new millennium]. / La Escuela de Salud Pública de México: innovación educativa y tecnológica en el nuevo milenio.

This article was conceived to analyze the work of the School of Public Health of Mexico (ESPM for is acronym in Spanish) from the year 2000 to the present day. One of the highlights that we will examine is the reorientation of the educational work of the school in order to meet the challenges in health and education that emerged during the end of the twentieth century. In order to explain the evolution of this process, we will describe the three main guiding principles that characterize the present work of the school: the pedagogical model's change, the incorporation of the information and communication technologies, and the professionalization in teaching. The purpose of this work is to define those guiding principles, and to expose, through the contrast between past and present, the complete history of uninterrupted work of the School of Public Health of Mexico during its ninety-two years of existence, that has gone beyond the boundaries of the country.

Competencias esenciales en salud pública: un marco regional para las Américas / Core competencies in public health: a regional framework for the Americas

Se describe la respuesta a un llamado de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud, realizado en 2010, para conformar el Marco Regional de Competencias Esenciales en Salud Pública, con el propósito de apoyar a los Estados de las Américas en sus esfuerzos por fortalecer las capacidades de sus sistemas de salud pública, en tanto estrategia para el desempeño óptimo de las Funciones Esenciales de Salud Pública. El proceso metodológico de dicha respuesta se dividió en cuatro fases. En la primera se convocó a un equipo de expertos que definieron la metodología a seguir durante un taller en el Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública de México en 2010. La segunda fase fue la constitución de grupos de trabajo, utilizando dos criterios: experiencia y composición multidisciplinaria, lo cual derivó en un equipo regional con 225 integrantes de 12 países. Estos equipos elaboraron una propuesta inicial de 88 competencias. En la tercera fase se realizó una validación cruzada de las competencias, cuyo número se redujo a 64. Durante la cuarta fase, que incluyó dos talleres en marzo (Medellín, Colombia) y junio (Lima, Perú) de 2011, las discusiones se centraron en analizar la correspondencia de los resultados con la metodología.

The response is described to the 2010 call from the Pan American Health Organization to develop a Regional Framework on Core Competencies in Public Health, with a view to supporting the efforts of the countries in the Americas to build public health systems capacity as a strategy for optimal performance of the Essential Public Health Functions. The methodological process for the response was divided into four phases. In the first, a team of experts was convened who defined the methodology to be used during a workshop at the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico in 2010. The second phase involved formation of the working groups, using two criteria: experience and multidisciplinary membership, which resulted in a regional team with 225 members from 12 countries. This team prepared an initial proposal with 88 competencies. In the third phase, the competencies were cross-validated and their number reduced to 64. During the fourth phase, which included two workshops, in March 2011 (Medellín, Colombia) and June 2011 (Lima, Peru), discussions centered on analyzing the association between the results and the methodology.

A novel educational strategy targeting health care workers in underserved communities in Central America to integrate HIV into primary medical care.

BACKGROUND: Current educational strategies to integrate HIV care into primary medical care in Central America have traditionally targeted managers or higher-level officials, rather than local health care workers (HCWs). We developed a complementary online and on-site interactive training program to reach local HCWs at the primary care level in underserved communities. METHODS: The training program targeted physicians, nurses, and community HCWs with limited access to traditional onsite training in Panama, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and Guatemala. The curriculum focused on principles of HIV care and health systems using a tutor-supported blended educational approach of an 8-week online component, a weeklong on-site problem-solving workshop, and individualized project-based interventions. RESULTS: Of 258 initially active participants, 225 (225/258=87.2%) successfully completed the online component and the top 200 were invited to the on-site workshop. Of those, 170 (170/200=85%) attended the on-site workshop. In total, 142 completed all three components, including the project phase. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation instruments included knowledge assessments, reflexive essays, and acceptability surveys. The mean pre and post-essay scores demonstrating understanding of social determinants, health system organization, and integration of HIV services were 70% and 87.5%, respectively, with an increase in knowledge of 17.2% (p<0.001). The mean pre- and post-test scores evaluating clinical knowledge were 70.9% and 90.3%, respectively, with an increase in knowledge of 19.4% (p<0.001). A survey of Likert scale and open-ended questions demonstrated overwhelming participant satisfaction with course content, structure, and effectiveness in improving their HIV-related knowledge and skills. CONCLUSION: This innovative curriculum utilized technology to target HCWs with limited access to educational resources. Participants benefited from technical skills acquired through the process, and could continue working within their underserved communities while participating in the online component and then implement interventions that successfully converted theoretical knowledge to action to improve integration of HIV care into primary care.