Public health Flashcards
Define public health
the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organised efforts of society
Define epigenetic
environment and personal experiences dictates the expression of your genome
Define allostasis
stability through behavioural and physiological change
Define allostatic load
long term overtaxation of the body leading to impaired health and stress (= price we pay for allostasis)
Define salutogenesis
favourable physiological changes secondary to experiences which promote healing and health
Define emotional intelligence
the ability to identify and manages ones own emotions, as well as those of others
what are the 3 domains of public health practice?
- health improvement
= concerned with societal interventions to prevent disease, promote health and reduce inequalities - health protection
= measures to control infectious disease risks and environmental hazards - improving services
= organisation and delivery of safe, high quality services for prevention, treatment and care
What are public healths key concerns?
wider determinants of health
prevention
inequalities in health
What is the difference between equity and equality?
equity = fair and just
equality= equal shares
Define horizontal and vertical equity
horizontal equity = equal treatments for equal need
e.g. patients with pneumonia treated equally
vertical equity = unequal treatment for unequal need
e.g. individuals with common cold or pneumonia need different treatments
How is health equity examined?
supply of health care access to health care utilisation of health care health care outcomes health status resource allocation wider determinants of health
Define health needs assessment
a systematic method of reviewing the health issues facing a population, leading to agreed priorities and resource allocation that will improve health and reduce inequalities
What is included in the “needs assessment”
- need = ability to benefit from an intervention
- demand= what people ask for
- supply= what is provided
Describe the planning cycle
needs assessment -> planning -> implementation -> evaluation -> needs assessment …
What is the difference between health need and health care need?
health need = need for health, concerns needs more general (measure using mortality, morbidity)
health care need= need for healthcare, more specific and ability to benefit from health care (prevention, treatment, care services)
Who defines need?
individuals family community professionals services
What must a “health needs assessment” be carried out for?
- a condition e.g. COPD
- a population e.g. manor top practice
- an intervention e.g. coronary angioplasty
Outline the social perspective of who defines need
- felt need= individual perceptions of variation from normal health
- expressed need= individual seeks help to overcome variation in normal health
- normative need= professional defines interventions appropriate for expressed need
- comparative need= comparisons between severity, range of interventions and cost
List the 3 approaches the health needs assessment
- epidemiological
- comparative
- corporate
Describe the epidemiological approach to health needs assessment
- define the problem and size of problem
- which services are available
- evidence based
- models of care
- existing services
- recommendations
What are the advantages of the epidemiological approach?
uses existing data
provides data on disease incidence/ mortality/ morbidity
can evaluate services by trends over time
What are the issues with the epidemiological approach?
required data may not be available
variable data quality
does not consider felt needs of people affected
Describe the comparative approach to health needs assessment
compares the services received by a population/ subgroup with others
can examine health status, service provision, service utilisation, health outcomes
What are the advantages of the comparative approach?
quick and cheap if data available
indicates whether service provision is better/ worse than comparable areas