Introduction to Public Health Medicine

• Community Medicine is also known as public health medicine.

Objectives of Public Health Medicine (PHM)

• Understanding the definition and role of public health.
• Describe public health's key functions.
• Know the structure of public health at Walter Sisulu University.

What is Public Health?

• Public health is defined as the science and art of promoting and protecting health and well-being.
• Public health focuses on preventing ill-health, prolonging life, and rehabilitation.
• Initiatives are carried out through organized societal efforts.
• Prof. C-E. A. Winslow was a public health expert at Yale University.
• Winslow was a bacteriologist.
• Winslow was the founder of Yale School of Public Health in 1915.

Key Components of Public Health

• Disease prevention
• Health promotion
• Policy-making
• Research
• Prolonging life in the general population
• Rehabilitation through organized society efforts

Health vs Community Medicine

• Health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
• Community health medicine is rooted in community diagnosis, community treatment, and meeting health needs.
• Community health medicine addresses improving water supply, immunization, health education, control of specific diseases, and health legislation.

Clinical Medicine vs Public Health

• Clinical medicine focuses on treatment for individuals and families and public health focuses on prevention for communities and entire populations.
• Clinical medicine diagnoses through physical exams and tests.
• Public health diagnosis utilizes epidemiological and other research methods.
• Clinical medicine treatments includes medication, surgery, and therapy.
• Public health treatments include education, inspection, advocacy, vaccination, media communication, and rehabilitation.

Public Health Achievements and Threats

• A 20th-century achievement of public health was the introduction of vaccinations to prevent diseases like smallpox eradication and polio elimination.
• Another 20th-century achievement was the provision of clean water and improving sanitation to reduce infectious diseases.
• A further 20th-century achievement was the reduction in tobacco use.
• Emerging threats of the 21st century includes the burgeoning prevalence of non-communicable diseases.
• New and re-emerging infectious diseases such as Ebola, MDR TB, drug-resistant diseases, and HIV are emerging threats.
• Natural disasters and climate change are also emerging threats.

Core Functions of Public Health

• Assessment - Identifying health problems within a community
• Policy Development - Creating policies to address health concerns
• Assurance - Guaranteeing the availability of public health services

10 Essential Public Health Services

• Monitoring the community's health status.
• Investigating and diagnosing health problems and hazards.
• Informing and educating people about health issues.
• Mobilizing partnerships to solve community problems.
• Supporting policies and plans to achieve health goals.
• Enforcing laws and regulations to protect health and safety.
• Linking people to needed personal health services.
• Ensuring a skilled and competent public health workforce.
• Evaluating the effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of health services.
• Engaging in research and applying innovative solutions.

Key Public Health Disciplines

• Epidemiology
• Biostatistics
• Environmental Health
• Health Policy & Management
• Social & Behavioral Health

Structure of Public Health Medicine at WSU

• Research is structured by epidemiology and biostatistics
• Epidemiology and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases
• Health Systems Management and Leadership.
• Environmental health
• Occupational Health Medicine.

Social determinants of health

• SDOH includes economic stability, education access and quality, healthcare access and quality.
• SDOH also includes Neighborhood & Built Environment, and Social & Community Context.
• Low-income communities may have higher rates of chronic diseases because of limited healthcare access.

Major Public Health Challenges

• Infectious diseases like COVID-19 and tuberculosis
• Non-communicable diseases like diabetes and heart disease
• Mental health
• Environmental health risks which includes pollution and climate change
• Health disparities

Community Medicine

• WHO defines community medicine as a system delivering comprehensive healthcare by a team to enhance community health.
• Community medicine is defined as the application of technical knowledge and skills to deliver healthcare through collaboration.
• Collaboration occurs between related professionals, human and social sciences, and the community.
• It emphasizes primary healthcare and social factors.

Aims of Community Medicine

• To decrease unnecessary morbidity and premature mortality across the whole population.
• To explore the greatest potential to improve health.

Community Medicine Approaches

• Primary Healthcare (PHC) is the first level of healthcare.
• Health Education raises awareness about diseases.
• Screening Programs helps in the early detection of diseases.
• Vaccination Campaigns prevents infectious diseases.
• Community Participation ensures people are actively participating in making health decisions.

Differences Between Public Health & Community Medicine

Public Health Interventions

• Immunization programs
• Sanitation and clean water initiatives
• Nutrition programs
• Anti-smoking and substance abuse campaigns
• Occupational health programs

Role of Government & Organizations

• WHO formulates global health policies.
• CDC focuses on disease prevention.
• Local health departments implement community programs.

Future of Public Health & Community Medicine

• Digital health and telemedicine
• AI and big data in healthcare
• Climate change and health
• Strengthening healthcare systems post-pandemic

Case Study - COVID-19 Pandemic

• Public Health Actions included lockdowns, social distancing, mass vaccination, and health communication strategies.
• Community Medicine Actions included local treatment centers, telemedicine expansion, and mental health support.

Preventive Medicine

• Preventive medicine is an academic discipline and medical specialty, with its own certifying board.
• Preventive medicine focuses on preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental health and efficacy.

Agencies Involved in Organized Community Health

• Municipal corporations or municipalities
• Cantonment boards
• Railway and industrial organizations
• Social security councils and institutions
• Voluntary agencies like tuberculosis and public health associations
• Medical associations
• Governmental hospitals and health departments

Social medicine

• It explores the study of an in their total physical, biological, and socioeconomic environment.
• It involves curative medicine with health promotion and prevention.

Social hygiene

• It refers to prevent and treat of sexually transmitted infections which previously known as venereal disease."

Community orientation

• It is defined as medical education to produces doctors who are willing to serve the community effectively.

Community-Based Education (CBE)

• The system of education is carried out outside hospitals in the community where healthcare facilities are accessible, e.g. Urban and rural health care-based units.

Comprehensive Health Care

• It provides personal health such as MCH, child welfare, school health, occupational health. etc.) and impersonal health services which includes water supply, vector control to a community

Vertical and Horizontal programs

• Vertical programs include the immunization project.
• Horizontal programs is the health service delivery program which cover the two dimensions of health personal and community health

Occupational Health

• Aim: Promoting and maintaining workers' physical, mental, and social well-being in all occupations.

Conclusion

• Public health and community medicine collaborate to enhance population health through prevention, early intervention, and equitable access.
• It is important to call policy changes, innovation, and community engagement.

An overview of public health medicine, also known as community medicine. Public health focuses on promoting and protecting health and well-being, preventing illness, prolonging life, and rehabilitation through organized societal efforts. Learn about the key functions, components, and structure of public health.