Dr. Jeya Prasanth graduated with an MBBS in 2006 from Kursk and a DrPH in 2012 from University Malaya. His interests include healthcare management and epidemiology. Public health officers face a range of issues including mental health consequences from work exposures, violence and security threats, economic and income limitations, and gender and racial stereotypes. Effective coping strategies involve both problem-focused and emotion-focused approaches like analyzing problems directly, seeking social support, and managing distressing feelings.

1. Dr. Jeya Prasanth, senior Public
Health Physician in-charge of
Public Health Speciality
Development Unit, Ministry of
Health Malaysia. He graduated
with MBBS in the year 2006
from Kursk and subsequently
graduated with DrPH in the
year 2012 from University
Malaya. His domain of interest
is Healthcare Management and
Epidemiology.
1

2. COPING SKILLS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICERS2

3. CONTENTS
Definition of Public
Health Officer
Issues faced by PHO
Coping skills

4. • Collaborative actions to
improve population-wide
health and reduce health
inequalities.
• Key public health perspective
is the population-wide
approach to the prevention,
control and management of
health problems.
• The public health workforce
includes those primarily
involved in protecting and
promoting the health of
whole or specific populations.
• As distinct from activities
directed to the care of
individuals
PUBLIC HEALTH DEFINITION AND SCOPE
Robert Beaglehole et al. (2003) Public health workforce: challenges and policy issues.
4

5. 2. MENTAL
HEALTH
1. TRAINING/
EXPERIENCE
3. VIOLENCE/
SECURITY
5. POLICY/
MANAGEMENT
4. ECONOMY/
INCOME
6. GENDER/RACE
ISSUES FACED BY PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICERS
5

6. Public health officers
experience a broad range of
health and mental health
consequences
As a result of work-related
exposures to natural or man-
made disasters
2. Mental health
Benedek DM et al. (2007) First responders: mental health consequences of natural and human-made disasters for public health and public safety workers.

7. 2. Mental health
"The effects of high-stress environments on
health care providers has progressed
considerably through the study of health care
delivery in military conflict and peacekeeping
missions."
"In the health care populations where combat
or threat of personal injury is minimal,
symptoms of depression and anxiety were
noted."
“Research showed that Vietnam nurses
developed P TS D f ro m t h e i r wa r t i m e
experiences, decades after their return from
war." 7

8. 2. Mental health
8

9. 3. Violence/ Security

10. VIOLENCE AGAINST HEALTH WORKERS
Health workers
are at high risk
of violence all
over the world.
01
Between 8% and
38% of health
workers suffer
physical violence at
some point in their
careers.
Many more are
threatened or
exposed to verbal
aggression.
Most violence is
perpetrated by
patients and
visitors.
In disaster and
conflict situations,
health workers
may become the
targets of
collective or
political violence.
02 03 04 05
3. Violence/ Security
WHO | Violence against health workers | http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/workplace/en/

11. Emotional; 815 (89.3%)
• Treat of physical force; 301 (33.3%)
• Verbal abuse; 478 (52.4%)
• Bullying/ Mobbing; 23 (2.5%)
• Sexual harassment/ threat; 13 (1.4%)
Physical; 46 (5.0%)
• Beating; 23 (2.5%)
• Pushing; 11 (1.2%)
• Pinching; 5 (0.5%)
• Others (Kicking, slapping, biting); 7 (0.8%)
Emotional; 89.3%
Physical; 5.0%
Both of physical and emotional; 5.7%
Types of violence in 913 reported events
3. Violence/ Security
El-Gilany AH et al. (2009) Violence against primary health care workers in Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia.

12. 4. Economy/ Income
Robin Hodess, Corruption Risks in the Healthcare Market place: Why Transparency is the Right Medicine

13. Lacking in infrastructure,
including its long-term
development
Limits on effective
leadership
Insufficient public
health related training/
lack mentoring
Isolation From Ministry
Of Health
Inadequate work force No standard guidelines
in recruitment
5. POLICY AND MANAGEMENT
Policy For Community Health Workers In Sierra Leone, Government of Sierra Leone, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, 2012

14. Specific Stereotypes for Male Nurses. Sometimes, patients or their
family members don’t want a male nurse simply because he’s a guy
6. Gender/ Race

15. 6. Gender/ Race

16. Analyze the situation
Work harder
Apply what you have already
learned to your daily life
Talk to a person that has a
direct impact on the situation
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02
03
04
Problem-Focused Strategy
This strategy relies on using active ways to
directly tackle the situation that cased the
stress. You must concentrate on the problem
Centre for studies on human stress (CSHS)|coping strategies http://www.humanstress.ca/stress/trick-your-stress/steps-to-instant-stress-management.html

17. Accept
Imagine/Magic thinking
Avoid/Deny
Social support
01
02
03
04
Emotion-Focused Strategy
This strategy is used to handle feelings of
distress, rather than problem situation. You
focus on your emotions.
Centre for studies on human stress (CSHS)|coping strategies http://www.humanstress.ca/stress/trick-your-stress/steps-to-instant-stress-management.html