Community medicine Flashcards
Define health
A state of complete physical, mental, and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity
Define public health
Preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical health and efficiency through organized community efforts:
- controlling community infections
- educating the individual in the principles of personal hygiene
- organizing medical and nursing services
- development of the social machinery which will ensure to every individual in the community a standard of living adequate for the maintenance of health
20th century public health
- Dealt with the health status of a population
- Dealt with prevention of illness
- Was disorganized, varied a great deal b/w populations and countries around the world
4 part definition of public health
- Mission
- Substance
- Organizational framework
- Core functions
What did the Future of Public Health establish?
A central mission and core functions
What are the core functions of public health
- Assessment
- Policy Development
- Assurance
Assessment definition
Knowing what needs to be done
- Monitor health status to ID community health problems
- Diagnose and investigate health problems and hazards
- Evaluate the effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of servies
- Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems
Policy development definition
Being part of the solution
- Developing policies and plants that support health
Assurance definition
Making sure it happens
- Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety
- Link people to personnel health services and assure the provision of health care
- Assure a competent public health and health care workforce
3 major eras in public health
- Prior to 1949: battling epidemics (Yellow Fever). Establishment of NIH, FDA, SSA, CDC, WHO, and Hill Burton Act
- 1950-1999 Filling gaps in medical care delivery: increased focus on the poor and access to care. Growth of health insurance post WWII. Medicare and Medicaid programs established-1965
- 2000-present: preparing for and responding to community health threats, manmade and natural; anthrax, 9/11, TSA
Medicaid
Health care for low income populations
- Partially state funded, so criteria for eligibility varies from state to state
Medicare
Health servies for people > 65 and/or suffering from long term disability
Part A: in patient hospital, nursing home, hospice
Part B: outpatient services, physicians, and medical supplies
Part C: insurance plans such as HMO or PPOs
Part D: rx plans, drugs
US public health achievements of the 20th century
- Vaccinations
- Motor Vehicle Safety
- Safer workplaces/occupational safety
- Control of infectious disease
- Decline in deaths from CHD and CVA
- Safer and healthier foods
- Healthier mothers and babies
- Family planning
- Chlorination and the fluridation of drinking water
- Recognition of tobacco as a health hazard
Current issues in public health today
- Ongoing obesity
- Whooping cough and measles
- MRSA
- West Nile
- Pandemic Flu Threats
- Disparities in Health Care
- Unwanted pregnancies
- Ebola
- Disaster preparedness
Medical care vs public health
Medical care
- Treats individuals
- Healing from illness via diagnosis and treatment
- Clinical interventions
- Well established profession, standardized education, and certification
- Clinical sciences integral; social sciences less emphasized
- Experimental studies with control groups
Public health
- Treats the community
- Prevention and health promotion
- Environment and human behavior interventions
- Diverse workforce, variable education, and certifications
- Social sciences integral, clinical sciences peripheral to education
- Observational studies; case control and cohort studies
