NORC at the University of Chicago, Bethesda, Maryland.
J Public Health Manag Pract. 2022;28(1):E80-E84. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000001329.
Public health emergency preparedness is a critical health department function. The national public health accreditation program may enhance public health preparedness by building the capabilities and overall capacity of health departments and also by improving capabilities specific to preparedness. This study presents findings from a survey sent to health departments 1 year after achieving accreditation, with a focus on accreditation outcomes related to public health preparedness. Between April 2014 and February 2020, 214 health departments responded to the survey. Most respondents indicated that accreditation had positively influenced their health department's performance within each of the selected topic areas that may influence public health preparedness: workforce development; quality improvement efforts; use of evidence and data to drive decisions; and partnerships, accountability, and credibility among external stakeholders. Enhancing overall health department capacity through accreditation may support the ability of health departments to prepare for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies.
公共卫生应急准备是卫生部门的一项重要职能。国家公共卫生认证计划可以通过增强卫生部门的能力和整体能力，以及提高特定于准备工作的能力，来加强公共卫生应急准备。本研究介绍了一项针对获得认证后一年向卫生部门发送的调查的结果，重点是与公共卫生应急准备相关的认证结果。2014 年 4 月至 2020 年 2 月期间，214 个卫生部门对调查做出了回应。大多数受访者表示，认证对其卫生部门在可能影响公共卫生应急准备的每个选定主题领域的表现产生了积极影响：劳动力发展；质量改进工作；使用证据和数据来推动决策；以及外部利益相关者之间的伙伴关系、问责制和信誉。通过认证增强整体卫生部门的能力，可能有助于卫生部门为公共卫生突发事件做好准备、应对突发事件并从突发事件中恢复。
