Component 3-Terminology in Healthcare and Public Health Settings Unit 13-What is Public Health? This material was developed by The University of Alabama at Birmingham, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number 1U24OC

What is Public Health? Learning Objectives –Discuss the various terms used to define public health –Identify the distinguishing features of public health –Discuss the various terms used to define health –Identify the categories and factors that influence health –Identify the terms commonly used as measures of health status Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Public Health Definitions Various definitions –General –Specific General –Area of healthcare dealing with the health of populations in geographic areas, such as states and countries –Wide array of activities directed at promoting the health of populations Source: Encyclopedia of Public Health, by The Gale Group, Inc.: [Internet]. [2011]. Available from: Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Public Health Definitions Specific –Institute of Medicine “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health and efficiency through organized community effort for sanitation of the environment, the control of communicable diseases, the education of the individual in personal hygiene...” Source: The Future of Public Health, Institute of Medicine. [Internet]. [1998]. Available from: Future-of-Public-Health.aspxhttp:// Future-of-Public-Health.aspx Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Terms Health –General condition of the body or mind, especially in terms of the presence or absence of illnesses, injuries, or impairments Prevention –Action taken to prevent the occurrence of an event or to minimize its effects after it has occurred Source: Encyclopedia of Public Health, by The Gale Group, Inc.: [Internet]. [2011]. Available from: Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Terms Promotion –Strategy that seeks to eliminate or reduce exposures to harmful factors by modifying human behaviors Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring Source: Encyclopedia of Public Health, by The Gale Group, Inc.: [Internet]. [2011]. Available from:

Terms Communicable disease –An infectious disease Transmitted from one individual to another –directly by contact (for example, through sneezing or coughing) –Indirectly (for example, through contaminated food or water) Source: Encyclopedia of Public Health, by The Gale Group, Inc.: [Internet]. [2011]. Available from: Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Features of Public Health Generally speaking, public health is: –Focused on preventive rather than curative aspects of health –Concerned with population-level, rather than individual-level, health issues Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Features of Public Health Public health services can be divided into three major categories –Assessment –Policy Development –Assurance Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring Source: Public Health Functions Project [Internet]. [Updated 2000 Nov 28]. Available from:

Terms –Assessment “Monitoring health” and diagnosing or investigating health problems and health hazards –Policy Development Policies and plans –Support individual and community health efforts –Educate about health issues –Mobilize community resources Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Terms –Assurance Linking people to needed personal health services through community partnerships Informing, educating, and empowering people about health issues. Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Defining Health “Individual health is closely linked to community health—the health of the community in which individuals live, work, and play. Likewise, community health is profoundly affected by the collective beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of everyone who lives in the community.” —Healthy People 2010: Understanding and Improving Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Defining Health Most definitions consider health as an outcome—the result of actions to produce it, such as –Good nutrition –Immunization to prevent disease –Medical treatment to cure disease Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Factors that Influence Health Heredity Race/ethnicity Gender Income Education Geography Exposure to violent crime Exposure to environmental agents Exposure to infectious diseases Access to and availability of health care Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Measurement of Health Status Public Health examines the distribution and rates of diseases and injuries in the population Incidence--Number of new cases that develop of a particular disease/injury. Prevalence--Proportion of people in the population who have the disease at a specific point in time. Source: Center for Disease Control [Internet]. [Updated 2010 Dec 21]. Available from: Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Measurement of Health Status Morbidity –The relative incidence of a particular disease Mortality –The number of deaths that occur at a specific time, in a specific group, or from a specific cause Source: Center for Disease Control [Internet]. [Updated 2010 Dec 21]. Available from: and Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Measurement of Health Status Birth rates –Number of live births per one thousand women Fertility rates –Number of live births per one thousand women between fifteen and forty-four years of age, generally considered a woman's prime childbearing years Source: Center for Disease Control [Internet]. [Updated 2010 Dec 21]. Available from: and Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Measurement of Health Status Infant Mortality –Number of live born infants who die before their first birthday per one thousand live births Life expectancy –Number of additional years of life expected at a specific point in time, such as at birth or at age 45 Source: Center for Disease Control [Internet]. [Updated 2010 Dec 21]. Available from: Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Summary How do we determine the health of the nation? Public health monitoring Data collection and analysis Disease prevention Promotion of good health practices Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring

Further Information For additional information on the definitions covered in this unit, see: Component 3/Unit 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring