Mixed-method analysis of the quad council competencies for public health nurses.

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) of public health nurses (PHNs) related to the eight Domains of the 2011 Quad Council Competencies for Public Health Nurses (QCC-PHN). This manuscript is Part 2 of an exploratory study published in the Public Health Nursing journal on PHNs' knowledge, skills, attitudes, and application of the Quad Council Competencies (Harmon et al., 2020).

Design: In this mixed-method descriptive research study, the multisite team conducted an online survey among a convenience sample of 296 PHNs to determine differences in KSA for each of the eight QCC-PHN Domains.

Measurements: Analysis of variance (ANOVA) testing revealed differences in KSA for the QCC-PHN, Domains. Post-hoc tests and qualitative thematic analysis of PHNs open-ended comments were used to provide additional data.

Results: ANOVA results showed significant differences in knowledge and skills in all Domains and a significant difference in attitude in only one domain, Domain 7. Post-hoc test results showed significant differences in KSA between position titles for most Domains.

Conclusions: Recommendations include using the QCC-PHN to standardize the professional and diverse roles of the PHN workforce.