Future directions for information dissemination: Population health and the primary health care workforce

This report comprises three chapters exploring the capacity of the primary health care (PHC) workforce to undertake and support population health activities. In particular, the report addresses the broader non-General Practitioner PHC workforce, integrating the considerable work undertaken regarding the GP workforce and population health in recent years. The report incorporates insights, examples and recommendations that emerged in five state-based workshops. The input from primary health care workers, and those involved in education, policy and planning for the primary health care workforce, contributed to a clearer picture of both current population health practice and the educational and information needs for future development of the workforce. The first chapter, The Primary Health Care Workforce and Population Health Activities: Scope and Potential defines primary health care and population health, describes the workforce, and explains the complexity and potential of PHC in population health. The second chapter, Future Directions for Information Dissemination: Population Health and the Primary Health Care Workforce, describes dissemination needs and strategies, and proposes future directions for information dissemination. The last of the three chapters, Educational Options to develop Population Health Skills conducts an assessment of the population health educational needs of the PHC workforce, and considers the potential of the Public Health Education for Clinicians program for adaptation for the broader PHC workforce. The project was funded by the Australian Government Public Health Education and Research Program and was a collaborative venture between four universities: Flinders University; La Trobe University; University of New South Wales and University of Queensland