In: Nursing
What is “public health” and how is it similar to and different from “population health”? What are some of the approaches available to promote and protect health?
Public health is defined as the science and art of preventing disease prolonging life and improving quality of life through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals.Public health aims to improve the quality of life through prevention and treatment of disease, including mental health. This is done through the surveillance of cases and health indicators, and through the promotion of healthy behaviors.
Many people incorrectly think that population health and public health are one in the same.while they are interrelated,there are key differences between the two.Population health is an approach that focus on interrelated conditions and factors that influence the health of populations over the life course,identifies systyemic variations in their pattern of occurance,and applies the resulting knowledge to develop and implement policies and actions to improve the health and well being of those populations.
Scientists define population health with a focus on the geographic nature of treating patients in groups.public health refers to the health situation of the public at large and is subject to government regulation to ensure medical professionals do their job properly.There are five approaches to health promotion,each necessitating the use of different kinds of activities.These approaches are medical,behavioural change,educational,client centered and societal change.