Public Health Flashcards
What are the Lalonde Report (1974) determinants of health?
Genes, environment (physical, social + economic,) lifestyle and healthcare
More detailed determinants model includes?
Age, sex and constitutional factors Individual lifestyle factors Social + community networks Living + working conditions General socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions
Key concerns in public health?
Wider determinants of health- not related to healthcare
Prevention- primary, secondary + tertiary
Inequalities in health
What is horizontal equity? Vertical equity?
Equal tx for equal need e.g. individuals w/ pneumonia treated equally
Unequal tx for unequal need e.g. common cold vs pneumonia, w/ poorer health may need higher expenditure on health services
Different forms of health equity?
Equal expenditure for equal need, equal access, utilisation, healthcare outcome for equal need and equal health
Dimensions of health equity?
Spatial i.e. geographical
Social - age, gender, class- socioeconomic, ethnicity
What can health equity be examined in terms of?
Supply, access and utilisation of healthcare, healthcare outcomes, health status
Resource allocation, health services and others: education, housing
Wider determinants e.g. diet, smoking etc
How is health equity assessed?
Assess inequality, then judge if inequitable- need to be explained, but equality e.g. utilisation may not be equitable
Healthcare systems- in terms of equal access for equal need, measurement= usually of utilisation, health status or supply
3 domains of PH practice?
Health improvement- social interventions aimed at prevention, promoting health and reducing inequalities
Protection- control infectious disease risks and environmental hazards
Healthcare- organisation + delivery of safe, high quality services for prevention, tx and care
Improving public health? Delivered at what levels?
I.e. interventions, may be: health service/ PH interventions, non-health e.g. improving economy + social conditions
1) Individual e.g. immunisations
2) Community e.g. playground set up
3) Population e.g. Clean Air Act
What is health psychology?
It emphasises the role of psychological factors in the cause, progression and consequences of health and illness
Aims to put theory into practice by promoting health behaviours and preventing illness
What are the 3 main categories of health behaviours?
Health, illness and sick role behaviours
Health= aimed to prevent disease
Illness= behaviour aiming to seek remedy
Sick role= any activity aimed at getting well
Examples of health damaging/ impairing and promoting behaviours?
Smoking, alcohol + substance abuse, risky sexual behaviour, sun exposure, driving without a seatbelt
Taking exercise, healthy eating, attending health checks, medication compliance, vaccinations
What are health interventions at a population level? Individual level?
Enabling people to exert control over health determinants (PHE/ Health Promotion Agency)
Patient centred approach, care responsive to individual needs
What are perceptions of risk with health influenced by?
Lack of personal experience with problem, belief that preventable by personal action, belief that if not happened by now- not likely to, belief that problem infrequent
Other reasons: health beliefs, culture variability, SE factors, situational rationality, stress, age etc
Promoting behaviour change= only likely once person’s perception of risk is understood
How can doctors help individuals to change their health behaviours?
Work with patient’s priorities, aim for easy changes over time, set + record goals, plan explicit coping strategies, review progress regularly, remember public health impact
Phases of the planning cycle?
Start with health needs assessment, followed by planning, implementation and evaluation
What is need?
The ability to benefit from an intervention
What is health needs assessment?
A systematic method for reviewing the health issues facing a population, leading to agreed priorities and resource allocation that will improve health and reduce inequalities
Health need vs healthcare need?
Health need= need for health, concerns need in more general terms e.g. measured using mortality, morbidity, socio-demographic measures
Need for healthcare, much more specific, ability to benefit from healthcare, depends on potential of prevention, treatment and care services to remedy health problems
Health needs assessment may be carried out for what?
A population/ sub-group, a condition, an intervention
What is the felt need? Expressed need? Normative need? Comparative need?
Individual perceptions of variation from normal health
Individual seeks help to overcome variation in normal health(demand)
Professional defines intervention appropriate for the expressed need
Comparison between severity, range of interventions and cost
Epidemiological approach to health needs assessment?
Define problem
Size of problem- incidence/ prevalence
Services available- prevention/ tx/ care
Evidence base- effectiveness and cost- effectiveness
Models of care- quality + outcome measures
Existing services- unmet need; those not needed
Recommendations
Issues with epidemiological approach?
Required date may not be available, variable data quality, evidence base may be inadequate, does not consider felt needs of people affected
Comparative approach to health needs assessment?
Compares services received by a population/ subgroup with others- spatial, social
May examine: health status, service provision, service utilisation, health outcomes
Issues with comparative approach?
May not yield what most appropriate level should be, data may not be available, data may be of variable quality, may be difficult to find comparable population
Corporate approach to health needs assessment?
Opinion leaders, commissioners, politicians, press, providers, professionals, patients–> corporate view (obtaining the views of a range of stakeholders)
Issues with corporate approach?
May be difficult to distinguish need from demand, vested interests, may be influenced by political agendas, dominant personalities may have undue influence
What is domestic abuse?
Any incident/ pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender/ sexuality
Abuse can encompass, but is not limited to: psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse
What is standard risk in relation to domestic abuse?
Current evidence does not indicate likelihood of causing serious harm
Medium risk in relation to domestic abuse?
There are identifiable indicators of risk of serious harm- offender has potential to cause serious harm, but unlikely unless change in circumstances
High risk in relation to domestic abuse?
There are identifiable indicators of imminent risk of serious harm. Dynamic- could happen at any time and impact would be serious
Action for standard/ medium risk domestic abuse?
Give contact details for domestic abuse services- keep good records + ensure followup as needed
Out of hours= National Domestic Violence Helpline
National LGBT Domestic Abuse Helpline
GALOP= LGBT support
Action for high risk domestic abuse?
Refer to MARAC/ IDVAS in addition to above wherever possible w/ consent- can be done via helpline
You can break confidentiality to do so if you cannot get consent
My role in responding to domestic and sexual abuse?
Display Helpline posters and contact cards- environment where people feel able to talk
Focus on patient safety
Ask direct Qs- be non-judgemental + reassuring
Acknowledge and be clear that behaviour is not ok
Give information (Helpline) + refer when appropriate
Be part of their process of recognising + escaping abuse
Be open to working with other agencies and professionals
Should not do with domestic abuse?
Assume someone else will take care of things
Ask in front of family members/ informal interpreters
Tell people what to do
Tool used to help identify people who have suffered domestic abuse?
HARK:
Humiliation, afraid, rape, kick
What is a MARAC?
Multi-agency risk assessment conference- single meeting, links up to date information about victims’ needs & risks directly to provision of appropriate services & responses for those involved: victim, children, perpetrator
Who does the IDVA service work with?
Victims who are the highest levels of risk from domestic abuse in Sheffield- helps to increase their safety- advice, safety planning, support through court proceedings, signposting, housing, legal services, refuge provision and home safety services, voice in MARAC process
What is a Domestic Homicide Review?
Review of the circumstances in which the death of a person aged 16 or over has, or appears to have resulted from violence, abuse/ neglect by someone related, in intimate relationship with/ member of same household
16-17 age= SCR takes precedence; criteria includes suicides
There are analyses of local DHRs and government national analysis for learning from cases - useful for learning
Some models and theories of behaviour change?
Health belief model (HBM) Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) Stages of change/ transtheoretical model (TTM) Social norms theory Motivational interviewing Social marketing Nudging(choice architecture) Financial incentives
What is the Health Belief Model?
Individuals will change if they: believe they are susceptible to the condition in the question, believe it has serious consequences, believe that taking action reduces susceptibility, believe that the benefits of taking action outweigh the costs
2 forms of variables contributing to the HBM? Link to what factors?
Demographic variables, psychological characteristics
Perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, health motivation, perceived benefits, perceived barriers–> likelihood of action (along with cues to action)
Cues to action in HBM?
Unique component of the model, can be internal or external cues, not always necessary for behaviour change
Critique of the HBM?
Alternative factors may predict health behaviour e.g. outcome expectancy + self-efficacy, if doesn’t consider the influence of emotions on behaviour, does not diff between 1st time + repeat behaviour, cues to action= often missing in HBM research
What is the theory of planned behaviour?
Expansion of Theory of Reasoned Action- proposes best predictor of behaviour= intention, is determined by: persons attitude to behaviour, perceived social pressure to undertake the behaviour/ subjective norm, persons appraisal of their ability to perform the behaviour/ perceived behavioural control
Things bridging gap between intention + behaviour?
Perceived control, anticipated regret, preparatory actions, implementation intentions, relevance to self
Critique of theory of planned behaviour?
Lack of temporal element, direction/ causality
Doesn’t take into account emotions, does not explain how attitudes, intentions + perceived behavioural control interact, habits + routines bypass cognitive deliberation, assumes attitudes, subjective norms + PBC can be measured, relies on self-reported behaviour