Introduction to Public Health Flashcards
What is the definition of public health?
Public health is the set of activities a society undertakes to monitor and improve the health of its collective membership
What are distinguishing features of public health?
1) Focus on preventing disease and injury
2) Patient is entire community, not individuals
3) Provider is society not individual professionals
How does public health differ from other health professions?
Other health professions involve:
1) An individual provider
2) An individual patient
3) Emphasis on treating illness of disability
Example of a difference between public health and healthcare
1) Dentists treat individual patients
2) Government fluoridates the water supply making water available to all members of the community
Factors that could avoid premature mortality:
1) Lifestyle: 50%
2) Environment 20%
3) Human biology (genetics)- 20%
4) Additional medical care- 10%
What is the hierarchy of ph/medical care in theory?
Public health—>Collective health services—> Individual health services
What is the actual hierarchy of ph/medical care?
Medicine–> Individual health services—> Public health
What is given more funding–public health or medical care?
Medical care
Why the PH/MC imbalance?
1) Market systems: Cater to services for individuals
2) Interest group politics
3) What people want (Taking care of current trauma rather than future benefit)
4) People’s lack of appreciation of relative risks
5) Invisibility of PH
Benefits and costs of PH programs
Benefits: Abstract, Deferred
Costs: Tangible, immediate
Benefits and costs of MC programs
Benefits: Tangible, immediate
Costs: Abstract, deferred
What is the mission of public health?
“The aim of public health is to generate organized community effort to address the public interest in health by applying scientific and technical knowledge to prevent disease and promote health”
Core functions of public health
1) Assessment of the health of the population
2) Development of public health policies
3) Assurance of the availability of needed services
Assessment of the health of the population requires:
1) Data collection
2) Statistical and epidemiologic analysis
3) dissemination of findings
Development of public health policies requires:
1) Use of a scientific knowledge base
2) Appreciation and use of the political process
Assurance of the availability of needed services
1) Encouraging appropriate actions by other entities (public or private)
2) Requiring such actions through law or regulation
3) Directly providing services
List 5 essential public health services
1) Monitor health status to identify community health problems
2) Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community
3) Inform, educate and empower people about health issues
4) mobilize community partnerships to identify and solve health problems
5) Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts
List 5 other essential public health services
6) Enforce laws and regulations that protect and ensure safety
7) Link people with needed personal health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable
8) Ensure a competent public health and personal health care workforce
9) Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility and quality of personal and population based health services
10) Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems
What are the five core areas of public health?
1) Epidemiology
2) Biostatisics
3) Environmental Health Sciences
4) Health behavior and health education
5) Health Management and policy
Epidemiology
Concerned with analyzing and describing patterns of occurrence and determinants of diseases in human populations
Biostatistics
Focuses on the development and the application of statistical and mathematical methods to the design and analysis of public health problems and biomedical research
Environmental Health Sciences
Aims to protect human health from adverse environmental conditions- in particular from harmful practices and harmful exposures in air, water, and food in the workplace, home and ambient environment
Health Behavior and Health Education
Addresses the factors associated with health related behavior and health status and develops and evaluates educational activities designed to improve individual and community health and quality of life
Health Management and Policy
Focuses on improving access to, financing of, and delivery of high quality health services and on developing and implementing cost-effective public health policies
