Objective To investigate the current status of competency and training needs among primary-level infectious disease prevention and control personnel in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, providing a scientific basis for further exploring training models to enhance the competency of such personnel in primary-level health institutions.

Methods In April 2025, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 700 members of primary-level infectious disease prevention and control personnel in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to understand their basic information, current competency, and training needs. The chi-square test was conducted for statistical analysis of the survey results.

Results In the self-assessment of competency, the qualification rates for "developing on-site health and epidemic prevention work plans and mobilizing resources during major natural disasters" and "designing, analyzing, and evaluating disease surveillance systems" were the highest, both at 91.57%. The self-assessed qualification rate for "conducting training and technical guidance" was low, with the lowest rate (68.7%) among personnel with educational background below junior college. The self-assessed qualification rates for "information acquisition, analysis, and utilization," "project application, planning, implementation, and management," and "conducting training and technical guidance" differed among personnel with different professional titles, educational backgrounds, majors, ages, and years of work experience (all P < 0.05). The self-assessed qualification rate for "conducting training and technical guidance" varied among the personnel with different professional titles, educational backgrounds, and years of work experience (all P < 0.05). The self-assessed qualification rate for "writing investigation reports, academic papers, and delivering presentations" also differed among personnel with different educational backgrounds, professional titles, and places of working (whether working in border regions or not) (all P < 0.05). Regarding training formats, the most frequently attended in the past were expert lectures, accounting for 97.29%. The highest training demand was for case analysis and practical exercises, at 81.07%.

Conclusions The self-assessment of core competencies among primary-level infectious disease prevention and control personnel in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is generally good. However, there are notable shortcomings in higher-order soft skills such as "training and guidance" and "communication," as well as among specific groups (e.g., those with lower educational background or less experience). Training needs are broad and concentrated on practical skills such as emergency response and communication, with variations observed across different groups.