Public health

Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals." (1920, C.E.A. Winslow) It is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis. The population in question can be as small as a handful of people or as large as all the inhabitants of several continents (for instance, in the case of a pandemic). Public health is typically divided into epidemiology, biostatistics and health services. Environmental, social, behavioral, and occupational health are other important subfields.
There are 2 distinct characteristics of public health:
1. It deals with preventive rather than curative aspects of health
2. It deals with population-level, rather than individual-level health issues
The focus of public health intervention is to prevent rather than treat a disease through surveillance of cases and the promotion of healthy behaviors. In addition to these activities, in many cases treating a disease may be vital to preventing it in others, such as during an outbreak of an infectious disease. Hand washing, vaccination programs and distribution of condoms are examples of public health measures.
The goal of public health is to improve lives through the prevention and treatment of disease. The United Nations' World Health Organization defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_health


Application of Public Health Principles to Healthcare

As well as seeking to improve population health through the implementation of specific population-level interventions, public health professionals also seek to improve population health by improving the contribution of medical care to life extension and quality of life.
Such improvements could be identified by assessing what need for health services existed within the population, and:
1. Assessing current services
2. Ascertaining requirements as expressed by professionals, public and other stakeholders
3. Identifying the most appropriate interventions
4. Considering the effect on resources
5. Agreeing and implementing any necessary changes
In addition public health professionals can improve population health through:
1. Assessing evidence of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness for proposed interventions
2. The evaluation of healthcare to determine whether the activity in question is meeting its objectives
3. Supporting decision making in healthcare and planning health services