Members' experiences and perceptions of participating in an Australian Regional One Health Network.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The One Health framework is intended to optimise the interdependent health of humans, animals and ecosystems. It relies on effective collaborations across disciplines, sectors and communities. One Health networks have become increasingly important platforms for encouraging, creating and supporting collaborations. Their success is usually judged by evaluations of their outputs. However, there is also a need to understand member experiences and perceptions of the networks in which they participate. To that end, we undertook the first membership survey of a One Health network that was established in Australia in 2005. METHODS: An online membership survey was created, comprising closed and open-ended questions. RESULTS: Around one third of the Regional One Health Partnership ('the Network') participated in the study (33 members). Participants contributed a combined total of 170 years of experience in the Network and 414 years of combined experience working in/on One Health. The Network has provided excellent opportunities for cross sectoral collaboration that would otherwise not have been possible. Findings also highlighted the intangible benefits of membership such as the creation of a collaborative support group for emerging and established One Health practitioners. CONCLUSIONS: The Network plays an important role in One Health collaborations in New South Wales and further afield. Commensurate with the literature on One Health collaborations globally, we identified a need for greater diversity amongst members, especially from First Nations people, local communities, non-government organisations and wildlife/environment experts, as well as concerted attempts to identify policy implications. Our membership survey tool could be adapted for future One Health Network membership surveys in Australia and internationally.