Cultivating global health professionals: evaluation of a training course to develop international consulting service competence in China

Abstract Background China's accelerating development and increasingly important role in global health engagement create a great demand for global health professionals including international consulting experts. This study reported the detailed development and evaluation of an international consulting training for global health workforce. Methods Based on Kirkpatrick's model, a mixed-methods approach was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the training. Quantitative and qualitative data on participants' reaction, learning, and application of the learned knowledge and skills were collected by a training evaluation survey at the ending of training and a follow-up interview in three months after the training. Results Thirty-six participants attended the training and 34 of them completed quantitative investigation. The training satisfaction evaluations were positive, for which participants rated the training program highly and over 90% of them agreed with the usefulness of the training. About knowledge and skills change, participants showed improved consulting knowledge and skills from pre- to post-training (P Conclusion The international consulting training program was well-received, and was feasible to improve the consulting service competence of global health professionals. According to participants' feedback, it is essential to develop and expand consulting training in the field of global health.