What is a DIS?

DIS work in health departments, community health centers, and other similar locations. The DIS role was initially established to work in the field of STD prevention. However, these public health professionals have ground-level investigative skills that are also key components of tuberculosis outbreak response; HIV exposure notification; other infectious disease control efforts; and emergency response. DIS have expertise in essential skills such as communication, interviewing, counseling, case analysis, and provider and community engagement. As the health care landscape evolves, DIS are needed even more as patient navigators and network builders to ensure patients are linked to care through expanded relationships with health care providers. DIS are a critical part of the public health infrastructure and in building the link to health care.

What is a job task analysis?

A Job Task Analysis, or a job analysis study, is a standard research practice used often by certification development organizations to identify the critical practices of a profession. Identifying the core responsibilities and functions of a job is the first step towards establishing certification requirements to ensure that practitioners have the requisite knowledge for competent practice.

One of the key steps in the DIS Certification Project is conducting a Job Task Analysis for the DIS workforce. This critical phase was recently completed, and the findings will be incorporated in the final report that will be issued at the Project’s conclusion.

What was included in the DIS certification project’s job task analysis?

The job task analysis was conducted in three phases: 1) research; 2) refinement; and 3) validation. The DIS Certification Project’s Job Task Analysis followed this model accordingly:

Phase I: Research

• Feasibility Study—In September 2013, a feasibility study was conducted to determine the need for the DIS Certification Project.
• Development of Draft Outline—a draft competency outline detailing domains, tasks, and knowledge statements was developed as a result of the feasibility study.
• Task Force Meeting—a group of subject matter experts, reflecting a diverse range of professional experiences convened to form a Job Task Analysis Task Force.  This group reviewed the draft outline and provided feedback to guide survey development.

Phase II: Refinement

• Survey Review and Pilot testing—the Task Force and a group of unaffiliated DIS professionals reviewed the draft survey, and the survey was set up on an electronic platform.
• Survey Administration—the final DIS Job Analysis Survey was fielded between October 26, 2015 and January 26, 2016. The survey had 494 respondents.

Phase III: Validation

• Data Analysis—once the survey was closed, researchers removed identifying details from the data and calculated frequency distributions, means, standard deviations, and modes for the task and knowledge importance ratings; task and knowledge frequency ratings; and content coverage ratings.
• Test Specifications Meeting—the Job Analysis Task Force reconvened February 17-18, 2016 to review survey data and to develop the Test Specifications for DIS certification.

What did the job task analysis find?

The Job Task Analysis details and describes the job tasks, knowledge, skills, abilities, and work activities of a standard DIS position. Agreement on these domains was the result of robust analysis and validation.  This is not a final job description or requirement. Some of the key domains that will be included are:

Tasks:

• Planning and Preparation for Case and Field Work
• Investigation Activities
• Client Encounters and Interviewing
• Surveillance Activities
• Health System Collaboration and Improvement in Quality of Care
• Clinical Follow up
• Field Services and Testing
• Case Analysis
• Outbreak Response and Emergency Preparedness

Knowledge:

• Ethical and professional conduct
• Privacy practices and reporting procedures
• Clinical or laboratory policies and procedures

Skills:

• Active listening
• Critical thinking
• Conflict management and resolution

Details about specific activities in each domain and other findings from the Job Task Analysis will be available in the final report.  A draft copy can be obtained by contacting PHAB.

How will this information be used?

The findings from the Job Task Analysis will also be used to develop a standardized template DIS job description that will then inform the models of potential certification provided in the final report to CDC.

What is the next phase of the DIS Certification project?

The next phase of the Project is Workforce Enumeration, which is a study that determines how many DIS are currently in the workforce. This task is already underway, and is expected to be completed in the next few weeks. At that time, another update on the project will be provided.