Abstract:
Public health authorities have made an increasingly regular practice to submit interventions in their services to evaluation. Numerous evaluation models have been employed to this end. The present study seeks to verify the extent to which training parameters or referents in Epidemiology established by the Epidemiology National Center (CENEPI) of the Brazilian Ministry of Health were attained by ten university level institutions contracted by the referred Center and also the local public health services. Consonant with this purpose. Stake's evaluation model was chosen. This model focuses on congruencies and discrepancies occurring in the training practices of the ten institutions regarding CENEPI’s training parameters.
The parameters set up by CENEPI for training in Epidemiology are eight, namely: (a) joint planning of training, (b) diagnostic of available personnel in epidemiology, (c) continned evaluation of the contracts, (d) screening of candidates € candidate discharge from service/training flexibilization, (f) establishment of state epidemiology centers, (g) support to local epidemiology groups after training, and (h) dissemination of training bibliography.
Questionnaires responded by the three groups of institutions involved in the evaluation - CENEP university level institutions and local public health services - showed a predominance of congruencies among the three groups of institutions regarding the eight parameters of training in epidemiology. However, discrepancies as well as agreement concerning failure to attain CENEPI’s parameters on the part of university level institutions and local public health services were noticeable.
Key terms:
Evaluation in(of) public health interventions; Evaluation of training in epidemiology; Training in epidemiology; Parameters for training in epidemiology