Indicator system for intercultural communication competence of global public health workforce

Objective  To construct an intercultural communication competence indicator system for Global public health workforce, and to provide a reference basis for the improvement of intercultural communication competence for future personnel engaged in global public health work.

Methods  Based on literature analysis and expert interviews, the first draft of the intercultural communication competence indicator framework was constructed. 2 rounds of expert consultation with 21 experts using the Delphi method to determine the final indicators. The Analytic Hierarchy Process was employed to determine the weights of the indicators.

Results  After two rounds of expert consultation, the effective recovery rate of the questionnaire was 100.00%. The experts’ authority coefficients in the two rounds were 0.86 and 0.87, respectively. The Kendall’s coefficient of concordance were 0.13 and 0.23, with significant difference (P<0.001). The final constructed competency indicator system included 3 first-level indicators (intercultural cognitive, emotional and behavioral ability), 6 second-level indicators and 18 third-level indicators.

Conclusion  The intercultural communication competence indicator system established in this study for global public health workforce demonstrates good scientific validity and reliability. This system not only evaluates the level of intercultural communication competence among global public health personnel but also offers a comprehensive framework for training programs focused on enhancing intercultural communication competence.