The IUHPE Health Promotion Accreditation System - developing and maintaining a competent health promotion workforce.

This commentary reports on the development and implementation of the competency-based IUHPE Health Promotion Accreditation System in the context of workforce capacity as a key activity of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE). The process of developing the System is described, including how it built on, and added to, international research and experience in competency-based approaches to health promotion. An overview of how the System works, its current status and future plans, is presented. Evidence of the positive impact of the System to date, in particular in the context of health promotion education, is considered.

Evaluating progress in the uptake and impact of Health Promotion competencies in Europe.

This paper reports on a study undertaken to determine what progress has been made in the uptake and impact of the CompHP Core Competencies on Health Promotion practice, education and training in Europe since their publication in 2011. The study used a purposive sample comprising health promoters who had contributed to the development of the CompHP Competencies was augmented by snowball sampling across European Health Promotion practitioners. An online survey tool was employed to elicit information on respondents' attitudes to the Competencies, levels of current and intended use, and opinions on their impact. A total of 81 responses were received from 25 European countries. Findings on factors considered likely to influence the use of the Competencies were generally positive, as were respondents' attitudes to them. However, only 53% of respondents reported that the CompHP Competencies were used in their country and 54% that they used them in their practice. The Competencies were most frequently used in Health Promotion education, where their impact was also most apparent. A lack of support and recognition of the Competencies by key organizations and stakeholders at country level emerges as a potentially critical factor influencing their uptake and use. The survey findings provide an insight into the uptake and impact of the CompHP Core Competencies to date and begin to address the gap in empirical evidence on the use and impact of Health Promotion competencies. However, further research is required to explore the factors influencing implementation of the CompHP Core Competencies at a country level.

Implementation of Health Promotion Competencies in Ireland and Italy-A Case Study.

This paper reports on a case study that explored the broader contextual factors influencing the implementation of the CompHP Core Competencies at a country level in Ireland and Italy between 2011 and 2018. The sample comprised key informants who were Health Promotion experts and were knowledgeable about how the competencies had been used in their country. These experts formed National Reference Groups that guided the research process in each country and helped identify additional key informants. Qualitative methods were utilized consisting of a desk review and semi-structured interviews. The data from each country were analyzed separately using a thematic analysis approach, with the findings then compared and reviewed by the National Reference Groups. A total of 26 interviews were completed (13 in each country). The findings show that both the focus and rate of progress of implementing the competencies differed across the two countries and that this reflected their levels of Health Promotion infrastructure and capacity development. A lack of awareness of the competencies was identified as a major limiting factor in implementation in both countries, of particular concern in relation to employers and decision-makers. While the case study focused on implementing the competencies in two European countries, there are insights from their experience that can inform implementation in other countries. The study also begins to address the gap in empirical evidence on the use and impact of Health Promotion competencies and the factors that influence their implementation.

Has the Development of Health Promotion Competencies Made a Difference? A Scoping Review of the Literature.

Introduction. Competency-based approaches have been developed in health promotion over the past four decades but, to date, there has been limited focus on the evaluation of their use and impact. In 2016, 5 years after publication of the CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promotion, an evaluation of their use and impact across the health promotion community in Europe was initiated. As a first step in this process, a scoping review of the literature was undertaken which aimed to explore the current status of health promotion competencies, with a particular focus on developments in Europe and ascertain what evidence exists about the use and impact of health promotion competencies on practice, education, and training. Method. Searches of the electronic databases and gray literature were conducted between February 2016 and December 2017. The searches were limited to sources published in English between 2009 and 2017, which focused on health promotion competencies. Results. A total of 39 sources were identified for in-depth analysis, of which 26 were theoretical papers and 13 were papers reporting on empirical studies. Many of the sources presented health promotion competency frameworks or described their development. Some examples of the use of health promotion competencies were found but only two instances of their evaluation were identified. Conclusions. The review found few empirical studies on the implementation and use of health promotion competencies and highlights a lack of evaluation studies on their impact on practice, education, and training.

Operationalising and piloting the IUHPE European accreditation system for health promotion.

The International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) European Accreditation System for Health Promotion aims to promote quality assurance in health promotion practice, education and training. The System is designed to be flexible and sensitive to the different contexts for health promotion practice, education and training in Europe, while maintaining robust criteria. These competency-based criteria were developed in the CompHP Project (2009-2012) that developed core competencies, professional standards and an accreditation framework for health promotion practice, education and training in the context of workforce capacity development in Europe.This paper describes how consultations undertaken with the health promotion community informed the structure and processes of the IUHPE Accreditation System. An overview of its development, key functions and the piloting of its implementation, which was co-funded by the European Union in the context of the EU Health Programme, is presented.Feedback from consultations with key health promotion stakeholders in Europe indicated overall support for the development of an accreditation system for health promotion. However, a number of potential barriers to its implementation were noted including: absence of dedicated practitioners and professional bodies in some countries; lack of clarity about professional boundaries; lack of financial resources required to facilitate capacity building; and concerns about the costs, objectivity and transparency of the system. Feedback from the consultations shaped and informed the process of designing an operational accreditation system to ensure that it would be responsive to potential users' needs and concerns.Based on the agreed structures and processes, a web-based application system was developed and managed at IUHPE headquarters. A governance structure was established together with agreed policies and procedures for the System. During the pilot period, applications from 20 health promotion practitioners, two health promotion education programmes and one national accreditation organisation were processed. Feedback from the piloting stage will inform further refinement of the system.While recognising the challenges, the overall positive feedback and the commitment demonstrated by the health promotion community form a constructive platform for the implementation of the IUHPE Accreditation System in Europe and internationally.

Developing competency - based accreditation for health promotion in Europe / Desenvolvimento de um sistema de acreditação baseado emcompetências para promoção da saúde na Europa

Background: In April 2013, the inaugural meeting of the Board and Committees of the IUHPE European Health Promotion Accreditation System was held in Paris. The meeting heralded the implementation of an innovative competency-based accreditation system for health promotion in Europe. The System aims to promote quality assurance and competence in health promotion through a Europe-wide accreditation system which is designed to be flexible and sensitive to different contexts while maintaining robust and validated criteria. The System builds on the international literature on competency-based approaches to health promotion and on global capacity development initiatives such as the Galway Consensus Conference Statement ‘Toward Domains of Core Competency for Building Global Capacity in Health Promotion’1. The System is designed to provide validated mechanisms for assuring quality in health promotion practice, education and training and a foundation for capacity development in Europe based on shared concepts and a formalised system of professional recognition.The competencies and professional standards that underpin the System are premised on the core concepts and principles of health promotion as defined in the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion2 and successive World Health Organisation charters and declarations3-8. The System is currently undergoing intensive piloting and will be fully operational in 2014. Methods: The System builds on a competency-based accreditation framework developed as part of the CompHP Project. The CompHP Project development processes employed a phased, multiple-method approach to facilitate consensus-building with key stakeholders in health promotion across Europe. The piloting process for the System includes establishing and testing the governance structures, application processes, reporting policies and procedures to ensure that they are equitable, feasible, open and transparent...

Introdução: Em abril de 2013, a reunião inaugural do Conselho de Administração e Comitês do Sistemade Acreditação de Promoção da Saúde Europeu da União Internacional de Promoção e Educação em Saúde (UIPES) foi realizada em Paris. A reunião anunciou a implementação de um sistema inovador para a promoção da saúde na Europa, baseado em competências. O sistema tem como objetivo promover a garantiade qualidade e competência na promoção da saúde através de um sistema de acreditação a nível europeu, que foi projetado para ser flexível e sensível a diferentes contextos, mantendo critérios robustos e validados. O sistema baseia-se na literatura internacional sobre as abordagens baseadas em competências para a promoção da saúde e em iniciativas de desenvolvimento de capacidades globais, tais como a Declaração consensuada da Conferência de Galway (“Toward Domains of Core Competence for Building Global Capacity in Health Promotion”)1. O Sistema é projetado para fornecer mecanismos validados que garantam a qualidade às práticas da promoção, da educação em saúde bem como da formação e do desenvolvimento de capacidades na Europa, basedo em conceitos compartilhados e em um sistema formalizado de reconhecimento profissional. As competências e os padrões profissionais que sustentam o Sistema têm como premissa os principais conceitos e princípios da promoção da saúde definidosna Carta de Ottawa2 e sucessivas cartas e declarações(3-8) da Organização Mundial de Saúde. Atualmente, o Sistema está passando por estudos pilotos intensivos, com operacionalização plena prevista para 2014. Métodos: O Sistema baseia-se em um quadro de acreditação baseado em competências, desenvolvido como parte do Projeto CompHP. O desenvolvimento do CompHP empregou uma abordagem em etapas, com vários métodos para facilitar a construção de um consenso com as pessoas-chave da promoção da saúde em toda a Europa. O piloto para o Sistema inclui o estabelecimento e a testagem das estruturas...

Developing a competency-based Pan-European Accreditation Framework for Health Promotion.

BACKGROUND: The CompHP Pan-European Accreditation Framework for Health Promotion was developed as part of the CompHP Project that aimed to develop competency-based standards and an accreditation system for health promotion practice, education, and training in Europe. METHOD: A phased, multiple-method approach was employed to facilitate consensus building with key stakeholders in health promotion across Europe. Consultation processes included focus and discussion groups at European and country levels, an online survey, a web-based consultation, and testing in academic and practice settings. Successive drafts of the Framework (a total of five) were revised based on the feedback from each consultation stage. FINDINGS: A total of 405 participants from 29 of the 34 target countries contributed to the consultation process. The overall response to the Framework was positive, with negative feedback focusing mainly on the barriers that may impact on its implementation. CONCLUSIONS: The CompHP Pan-European Accreditation Framework for Health Promotion provides an agreed system to promote quality assurance and competence for health promotion practice and education in Europe. The Framework, which builds on the CompHP Core Competencies and Professionals Standards, outlines the systems and processes for the accreditation of health promotion practitioners and health promotion education and training by accrediting organizations at national and European levels.

The CompHP core competencies framework for health promotion in Europe.

BACKGROUND: The CompHP Project on Developing Competencies and Professional Standards for Health Promotion in Europe was developed in response to the need for new and changing health promotion competencies to address health challenges. This article presents the process of developing the CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promotion across the European Union Member States and Candidate Countries. METHOD: A phased, multiple-method approach was employed to facilitate a consensus-building process on the development of the core competencies. Key stakeholders in European health promotion were engaged in a layered consultation process using the Delphi technique, online consultations, workshops, and focus groups. FINDINGS: Based on an extensive literature review, a mapping process was used to identify the core domains, which informed the first draft of the Framework. A consultation process involving two rounds of a Delphi survey with national experts in health promotion from 30 countries was carried out. In addition, feedback was received from 25 health promotion leaders who participated in two focus groups at a pan-European level and 116 health promotion practitioners who engaged in four country-specific consultations. A further 54 respondents replied to online consultations, and there were a number of followers on various social media platforms. Based on four rounds of redrafting, the final Framework document was produced, consisting of 11 core domains and 68 core competency statements. CONCLUSIONS: The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promotion provides a resource for workforce development in Europe, by articulating the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities that are required for effective practice. The core domains are based on the multidisciplinary concepts, theories, and research that make health promotion distinctive. It is the combined application of all the domains, the knowledge base, and the ethical values that constitute the CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promotion.

Building capacity in workplace health promotion: the case of the Healthy Together e-learning project.

The current global economic crisis poses major challenges for workplace health promotion (WHP). Activities that are not perceived to obviously and directly contribute to profits could be sacrificed. This paper argues that WHP must remain centre-stage because of the rights of workers to a healthy, safe working environment but also because of WHP's beneficial financial implications for enterprises. Capacity building for WHP can be developed even within a recessionary environment, particularly if the focus is on the wider workforce, described here as people for whom workplace health promotion may not be their primary function but who have an important role to play in health improvement in workplaces. There is a strong case for the development of the wider workforce based both on the lack of suitably qualified specialists and on the practicalities of having WHP implemented within organizations, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs make up a very significant proportion of the global economy and are identified as a priority area for action internationally. An example of an e-learning course, the Healthy Together programme, developed by a partnership of three countries, is discussed as an approach that has potential to develop capacity for WHP in the current climate. The findings of the evaluation of the Healthy Together programme indicate that there is a real potential in developing e-learning materials for training those with a brief for promoting workplace health and safety in SMEs. Although modifications in some aspects of delivery identified in the evaluation of the pilot course need to be considered, the course was well received, and was reported to be relevant to the learning needs of students, to their workplaces and specifically to small businesses in rural areas. Specific features of the e-learning approach increase its potential to address capacity building for WHP.

A review of the international literature on health promotion competencies: identifying frameworks and core competencies.

Building a competent health promotion workforce with the necessary knowledge and skills to develop, implement and evaluate health promotion policies and practice is fundamental to mainstreaming and sustaining health promotion action. This paper reviews the international literature on competencies in health promotion, examines the competencies developed to date, identifies the methods used in their development and considers what can be learned from the experience of others when establishing international core competencies. The paper considers the advantages and disadvantages of employing a competency approach and the extent to which the competencies identified to date can enhance the quality of practice and update the skill set required to work within changing social, cultural and political contexts.

Perspectives on health promotion competencies and accreditation in Europe.

There is a growing and diverse health promotion workforce in Europe; however, no overall body has responsibility for quality assuring standards of training and professional practice at the European level. This paper provides an overview of recent developments in Europe, including initiatives led by the International Union for Health Promotion and Education, in the context of developing a pan-European accreditation system. Specific developments on establishing national-level accreditation processes in the UK, Estonia and The Netherlands are examined. While there is limited experience in this field across Europe, lessons can be learned from those countries with established systems. This paper focuses on those countries which have developed competencies, standards and accreditation systems, and the implications for developing a pan-European accreditation system are discussed. Differences between countries in the formats, content and processes of developing accreditation, coupled with the different educational, practice, political and resource situations, reflect the complexity of developing a pan-European system that is flexible, relevant and comprehensive. The development of competencies, standards and accreditation is not intended to be directed at health promotion specialists alone but aims to assure quality in performance of all those who contribute to health promotion, from whatever background or area of professional practice. It is likely that there will be a need to develop a robust system that will accommodate different levels of accreditation for different levels and fields of practice. Developing a pan-European accreditation system poses a significant challenge but also presents a unique opportunity to form a solid basis for building capacity and assuring quality for health promotion practice, research and training across the European region.