Exam 1 Definitions Flashcards
(36 cards)
health and public health, WHO definitions
a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing. not merely the absence of disease or infirmity
All organized measures to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole
goals of public health
promote and prevent illness and disease. ultimately make america a healthier population
how do public health and medicine differ
public health is preventative, addressing upstream factors before they cause downstream factors
medicine is acute responses, when it is working it is visible
to have a healthy society, there needs to be both public health and medicine
health system definition
all organizations, people, and actions whose primary intent is to promote, restore, or maintain health
what are the different elements of a good healthcare system
a robust financing mechanism, a well-trained and adequately paid workforce, reliable information on which to base decisions and policies, well-maintained facilities and logistics to deliver quality medicines and technologies
building blocks of healthcare
leadership/governance, healthcare financing, health workforce, medical products/technologies, information and research, service delivery
adequate access and quality of the building blocks leads to improved health (level and equity), responsiveness, financial risk protection, improved efficiency
epidemiology definition
the study of the distribution and patterns of disease within a population
not about individuals, but about populations and aggregate numbers
social epidemiology
the distribution of disease within a population according to social factors, such as the use of drugs, heterosexual behavior, or social class rather than biological factors
looks at how social conditions effect epidemiology and disease distribution
epidemiological transformation
the transition from infectious diseases to chronic conditions as being the major killer of US populations
this shift can be traced to public health efforts, like development of tools to avoid/detect chronic illness, and policies to curb infectious diseases
the only exception to this in last 10 years was covid
prevalence definition
total number of cases within a specific population at a specified time, both those newly diagnosed and those diagnosed in a previous year but living with the condition
incidence definitions
the number of new occurrences of an event (diseases, births, deaths) within a specific population during a specific period
life expectancy rate
life expectancy at birth represents the overall mortality pattern that prevails across all age groups
major correlation between income and life expectency
US life expectancy is going down because of covid pandemic and the drug overdose epidemic
mortality definition
the frequency or rate of death in a given population
morbidity definition
departure from a state of physical or psychological well-being, resulting from disease, injury, or sickness
could be something as short as a few days or a chronic disability
morbidity is an outcome of the building blocks of the healthcare system
infant mortality rate
the frequency/rate of death of infants before their first birthday. the number of infant death for every 1000 live births
a good indicator of population health because hypothetically all babies should be able to survive birth. important marker of overall health of a society
another example of the paradox of US healthcare, US has highest infant mortality rate out of many comparable countries
why is child mortality in US rising
premature infants and birth complications, prematurity and SIDS related to social gradient
older teens: motor vehicle deaths and gun violence
doesn’t have anything to do with medicine/health system, more about the child poverty rate, educational attainment, fractions in social safety net, road and gun safety
upstream factors
closer to fundamental nature of the cause and often further from observed health outcomes
law, policies, underlying values that shape: income, accumulated wealth, income inequality, educational attainment, employment, household composition, experiences based on race or ethnic group, social mobility, stressful experiences related to any of the above
midstream factors
factors that are strongly influenced by upstream factors and that are likely to affect health
neighborhood features, work environments, housing, transportation, conditions in homes/schools/work/community
downstream factors
closest to ends of causal chains
unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, smoking, peer influence
social class definition
individuals education, income, occupational status, prestige
within each racial group and at each age, those with higher education, income, or occupational status have the lowest rates of mortality and morbidity
education and health strongly interrelated
where people are in the social hierarchy affects the conditions in which they grow, learn, live, work, and age and their vulnerability to ill health and its consequences
social gradient
people who are less advantaged in terms of socioeconomic position have worse health than those who are more advantaged
for every income level, there is a difference in life expectancy
this inequality between income groups is part of what is making the US sicker than comparable countries who experience less income inequality
social gradient in health implies that action to improve health has to take place at a societal level, and individuals ability to change is constrained by social circumstances
racial disparity
disparity: systematic differences accross groups based on socially constructed (not biological) differences
racial disparity: the increased presence of certain diseases, poorer health outcomes, and greater difficulty in obtaining healthcare services for certain races
the differnces can depend on the location, receiving population, and ecisting stereotypes. even though the differences are socially constructed, they still have large consequences in healthcare and the social environment
cultural competency
“The ability of individuals to establish effective interpersonal and working relationships that supersede cultural differences” by recognizing the importance of social and cultural influences on patients, considering how these factors interact, and devising interventions that take these issues into account
A culturally competent healthcare system acknowledges and incorporates the importance of culture, and is vigilant towards differences that result from cultural differences
cultural humility
An orientation towards caring for one’s patients that is based on: self-reflexivity and assessment, appreciation of patient’s expertise on the social and cultural context of their lives, openness to establishing power-balanced relationships with patients, and a lifelong dedication to learning
Cultural competence attending to the culturally diverse backgrounds of patents, providing person-centered care, and reducing health disparities
The term competence can contribute to the reproduction of social stereotypes and an imbalance of power between patients and providers
Saying competence suggests that there is one core set of beliefs and values that remain unchanged and that are shared by all members of a specific group. Totalizing view
Competence creates us-versus-them, sense of othering
