Whether it’s preventing heart disease, fighting infectious diseases or educating the general population about leading healthier lifestyles, there are many different issues that are being tackled by medical experts and public health professionals.
While some of these issues are relatively new, others are more thorny and deeply rooted. They often come from social ills such as poverty, health inequity and misinformation.
Preventive measures
Often overlooked in healthcare, preventive measures can drastically reduce the cost and impact of later negative health outcomes like medical emergencies, disability or chronic disease. They can also help children and adults remain active, productive and healthy for longer periods of time.
Preventive care involves regular screenings for diseases before they become serious enough to cause symptoms. When this occurs, physicians can focus on treating the underlying cause and preventing the patient from developing a more severe health problem.
The CDC and other public health agencies conduct research on a variety of topics related to prevention and disease. These research projects are aimed at improving the health of people in different communities.
They focus on such things as immunisations and health education, which are considered primary prevention strategies. They also study secondary prevention, which focuses on early disease detection and intervention. This is done through activities such as cancer screening programs, postexposure rabies prophylaxis and tuberculosis skin tests.
Education
Education is an important part of the healthcare setting. It provides information about health conditions, treatments, and prevention strategies that can help patients better understand their condition, take control of their treatment, and manage their health effectively.
In a traditional educational setting, students undergo a structured learning process under the guidance of trained teachers. However, education is also found in informal settings. It can involve self-study, learning from family members or elders in the community, and using websites to learn new skills or knowledge.
The relationship between education and health is a complex one. It is influenced by socioeconomic factors, including income and resources. It can also be influenced by social and neighbourhood factors such as safety, health, and access to health services.
Research on the relationship between education and health has traditionally focused on three broad theoretical perspectives. These include conflict theory, interaction theory, and human capital theory.
Prevention
Prevention is a term that describes the use of methods or activities to prevent or reduce the occurrence of specific problems, protect the current state of well-being, or promote desired outcomes and behaviours.
In the healthcare setting, prevention is often used to avoid or minimize patient harm from a range of health conditions and infections. This can include preventing the transmission of microorganisms, such as bacteria or viruses, to patients, staff and visitors.
Primary prevention focuses on population level interventions that address the causes of disease and other negative health and social outcomes (e.g., violence, drug abuse, poor nutrition, teen pregnancy). This can be done through universal measures that decrease all risks and their causes, or targeted, more effective strategies that focus on certain populations to increase their odds of avoiding diseases and other health conditions.
Secondary prevention, also known as early detection, aims to catch diseases in their initial stages when treatment is most effective. This can be done by screening individuals for their risk factors and providing them with care to manage these conditions. Tertiary prevention focuses on rehabilitation and changes in social environments so that people can live with the impact of a disease.
Treatment
The medical community is littered with geriatrics and young adults, but no one is immune to the allure of good old fashioned health care. The healthcare and public health fields are a hive of activity, from diagnosing and treating disease to advocating for the rights of individuals and their families. A major hurdle to overcome is a lack of quality information, which can have disastrous consequences on the health and well-being of a vulnerable population. The solution is to inform and educate our patients, their families and friends on what we do and why, so that they can make informed choices for themselves in their own time. The result is a healthier, happier and safer population, a veritable win-win scenario for all.
FAQs
Q: What is the public health issue?
Ans: Demands on health care exceed resources due to factors like population growth, aging, and unhealthy environments.
Q: What are the 10 most common health issues?
Ans: The most common health issues are physical inactivity and food, obesity, tobacco, substance abuse, AIDS, mental health, falling and injury, environmental quality, immunisation, and healthcare access.
Q: What are the principles of public health?
Ans: The main principles and goals of public health revolve around promoting health and preventing disease. All aspects of the concept of public health fall under one of the principles of public health which are the environment, education, sanitation, and preventive medicine.