Berry Katherine E, Nathe Christine N
Division of Dental Hygiene, University of New Mexico, USA.
J Dent Hyg. 2011 Winter;85(1):29-38. Epub 2011 Jan 1.
The purpose of this investigation was to examine the commissioning history of the professions of physicians, dentists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and dental hygienists of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), and to determine a critical pathway to commissioning new health care professions into the USPHS. The Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner (ADHP), recently developed by the American Dental Hygienists' Association, is an oral health care provider proposed for public health settings that shares the same goal as the USPHS of treating underserved populations in the U.S. With the establishment of the ADHP role, an opportunity for the ADHP to be commissioned into the USPHS may arise.
Journal articles, books and Web sites documenting the history and commissioning process of the USPHS were researched. Interviews with key USPHS commissioned officers involved with the commissioning process of the selected health care disciplines were conducted. A qualitative comparative analysis to examine published documents and interpret interviews was performed to reveal patterns of events leading to commissioning. Systematic, time-oriented visual displays of data were constructed to identify critical pathways for commissioning new professions into the USPHS.
The need for health care professionals to provide quality health care to the Federal beneficiaries of the USPHS was found to be the driving force behind commissioning the selected health care professions into the USPHS. A critical pathway for commissioning new professions into the USPHS was identified.
Understanding the commissioning process of new health care professions into the USPHS would assist with defining the critical pathway for future USPHS commissioning of the ADHP.
本调查旨在研究美国公共卫生服务部（USPHS）医生、牙医、护士、执业护士、医师助理和牙科保健员等职业的授衔历史，并确定将新的医疗保健职业纳入USPHS授衔体系的关键路径。美国牙科保健员协会最近设立的高级牙科保健从业者（ADHP）是一种拟在公共卫生环境中提供口腔保健服务的人员，其目标与USPHS相同，即治疗美国未得到充分服务的人群。随着ADHP角色的设立，可能会出现将ADHP纳入USPHS授衔体系的机会。
研究了记录USPHS历史和授衔过程的期刊文章、书籍及网站。对参与选定医疗保健专业授衔过程的关键USPHS授衔官员进行了访谈。进行了定性比较分析，以审查已发表的文件并解读访谈内容，从而揭示导致授衔的事件模式。构建了系统的、以时间为导向的数据可视化展示，以确定将新职业纳入USPHS授衔体系的关键路径。
发现向USPHS的联邦受益人群提供高质量医疗保健服务的需求是将选定医疗保健专业纳入USPHS授衔体系的背后驱动力。确定了将新职业纳入USPHS授衔体系的关键路径。
了解新的医疗保健职业纳入USPHS授衔体系的过程，将有助于确定未来USPHS对ADHP授衔的关键路径。
