Competency framework development and recommendations for public health emergency preparedness and rapid response teams

Background Learning to respond to emergencies requires nations to build capacities of a specialized workforce and to coordinate internationally. Lessons learned from emergencies like Ebola Virus Disease, Coronavirus disease 2019, and natural disasters emphasized the role of rapid response teams (RRTs), multidisciplinary teams equipped to detect and respond to public health events. To ensure the effectiveness of RRTs, education and training is critical. The objective of the study was to identify a set of professional competencies for emergency responders of various ranks worldwide to subsequently facilitate appropriate learning pathways and methods to support this workforce. Methods Following a desk review of existing rapid response frameworks, we conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups with stakeholders in varied RRT positions in 17 countries, to elicit and explore the tasks performed by RRTs as well as the pathways for their learning. We refined the typology of tasks, skills, and pathways through three stakeholder focus groups. We then mapped the elicited tasks and skills with the competencies derived from the desk review to create a global RRT competency-framework, seeking final feedback from four stakeholders through four additional interviews. Results The study identified 238 practice tasks comprising 78 distinct competencies in 31 domains of practice, which addressed the most critical job-performance tasks for RRT members, managers, and trainers. Core competencies for RRT members included detecting signals and assessing risk, notifying and reporting, collecting and analysing field data, implementing control measures, and risk communication/community engagement. Findings detail competencies for the following roles: RRT team lead, psychosocial expert, epi-surveillance officer, risk communicator, clinician, logistician, hazardous materials expert, WASH specialist, and infection prevention and control expert. Conclusions The framework advances RRTs’ effective response to public health emergencies by guiding future training, mentoring and evaluation efforts.