public health domains Flashcards
health protection
protecting populations from a wide range of threats to their health e.g. communicable diseases, environmental hazards
public health surveillance
systematic and continuous collection, analysis and interpretation of data
sources of surveillance data
statuatory notifications
emergency deps
hospital admissions
mortality data
repeated surveys
GPs
types of surveillance
active
passive
sentinel
syndromic
active surveillance
healthcare provides contacted and asked to provide details
passive surveillance
ongoing routine collection of health data
sentinel surveillance
reporting of health events by a sample of health providers who are selected to represent a geographic area or specific area
syndromic surveillance
focuses on a pattern of symptoms rather than a physician or lab-confirmed disease, allows for early detection
screening aim
detect a condition earlier than it would have been with usual care
surveillance aim
quantify prevalence and analyse trends over time
health services
assessing healthcare to make sure it is:
- clinically effective
- cost-effective
- equitable
- safe
- responsive to patient needs and expectations
primary care
first point of contact
GPs, dentists, pharmacists, community services
secondary care
hospital-based services
outpatient. limits, inpatient care, A&E
tertiary care
highly specialised care requiring a referral from secondary care
cancer, neurosurgery, organ transplant
donabedian’s framework for evaluating healthcare
structure
- context in which care is being delivered (buildings, equipment, staff)
process
- all activities or patient-staff interactions (wait times, referrals, screening rates)
outcome
- effects on patients (complication rates, survival, quality of life)
what’s a clinical audit
a quality improvement process to improve patient care and outcomes through comparing performance against predefined standards
health improvement (promotion)
enabling people to increase control over their own health (e.g. health education programmes, initiatives to promote healthier lifestyles)
teo core public health principles
prevention
health equity
three levels of prevention
primary
- remove risk factors or increase resistance
secondary
- screen for early detection & treatment
tertiary
- reduce complications & disability
high risk strategy for prevention
intervention targets those at high risk in a population
mass/population strategy
aims to reduce risks of entire population
main focus of health improvement programmes
