Public Health Flashcards
Give the 4 domains of public health.
- Health protection.
- Improving services.
- Health improvement.
- The wider determinants of health - looking at the bigger picture.
Name 5 ethical theories.
- Virtue.
- Categorical.
- Imperative.
- Utilitarianism.
- 4 principles.
Sociology of health medicine: name 5 determinants of illness.
- Social class.
- Unemployment.
- Racism/discrimination.
- Material deprivation/poverty.
- Gender.
When can confidentiality be broken?
- When it is required by law.
- If the patient has given consent.
- Public interest - research, education, serious crime or disease.
What life style factors promote mortality?
- Smoking.
- Obesity.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Bad diet.
- Excessive drinking.
Describe the Health Belief Model (Becker 1974) of behavioural change.
The individual needs to believe that there are consequences and that they are susceptible to disease. They need to believe that taking action reduces the risks and that the benefits outweigh any costs.
Describe the Transtheoretical model of behavioural change.
- Pre-contemplation (no intention of giving up smoking).
- Contemplation (consider quitting).
- Preparation (get ready to quit in near future).
- Action (engaged in giving up).
- Maintenance (steady non-smoker).
- Relapse?
Define ethics.
A system of moral principles and a branch of philosophy that defines what is good for individuals and society.
What is the Gini coefficient?
A statistical representation of a nation’s income distributed among it’s residents. It is the most commonly used measure of equality.
Responses to health inequalities: what are the main principles of the Acheson Report (1998)?
- Reduce income inequality.
2. Give high priority to the health of families with children.
Responses to health inequalities: what are the main principles of Proportionate Universalism?
- Focusing only on the disadvantaged will not reduce inequalities.
- Action needs to be universal.
- A fair distribution of wealth is needed.
Define morality.
Concern with the distinction between good and evil or right and wrong.
What are Utilitarian ethics?
- An act is evaluated solely in terms of its consequences.
- Maximise good and minimise harm.
What are the challenges/criticisms of Utilitarian ethics?
- Treats minorities unfairly to promote happiness of a majority.
- Is it okay to carry out ethically questionable research to maximise the welfare of society?
- What is good/better?
What are the main principles of Virtue ethics?
- Focuses on the person who is acting; are they expressing good character?
- Integrates reason and emotion.
- Virtues are acquired.
- An action is virtuous only if the person is acting with the genuine intention of doing the right thing.
What are the challenges/criticisms of Virtue ethics?
- Virtues are culture-specific.
- Too broad for practical application.
- Kindness and compassion could lead to not telling the harmful truth - lying.
- It is not always clear how to resolve a dilemma with virtue ethics.
What are the 4 principles of ethics?
- Autonomy (respect the patient’s decision).
- Benevolence (provide benefits to the patient).
- Non-maleficence (do no harm).
- Justice (ensure fairness in the distribution of treatment).
What does the GMC say are the 5 main ‘duties of a doctor’?
- Protect and promote health.
- Provide a good standard of care.
- Recognise and work within the limits of your competence.
- Work with colleagues in a way to best serve your patients.
- Treat patients as individuals and respect their dignity.
Name 4 ways to assess functional limitations among older people?
- The Katz ADL scale.
- IADL.
- The Barthel ADL index.
- MMSE.
What activities of daily life does the ‘Katz ADL Scale’ include?
Bathing, dressing, toilet use, eating, urine and bowel continence, transferring in/out of bed.
What activities of daily life does the ‘IADL Scale’ include?
Use of the telephone, travelling by car or public transport, food/clothes shopping, cooking, housework, medication use, money management.
What activities of daily life does the ‘Barthel ADL index’ include?
Feeding, grooming, bathing, dressing, walking on a level surface, going up and down stairs, moving from wheelchair to bed, continence, transferring to and from a toilet.
What does the MMSE test?
- Orientation, immediate memory.
- Short-term memory.
- Language functioning.
Define acute illness.
A disease of short duration that starts quickly and has severe symptoms. It often can be cured.