Public Health System - Essay Sample

Despite the great strides that have been made with regards to public health like increased life expectancy at birth, and decreased death rates from coronary and heart diseases, public health challenges and disparities have still remained persistent. There is therefore the need for nurses to ethically, and socially addressing the health issues equitably and sociably since they are the primary leaders in practice. An epidemiological is hence used in providing an in-depth analysis in the community in gaining a better understanding of health within the community. According to the Office of the Disease Prevention and Heath Promotion (2020), that is in conjunction with the reviewed data that is culturally and socially diverse communities in the realms of objective definition of health problems and trends of health ion the community. An analysis of the epidemiological data in the diverse communities will therefore help in overcoming health challenges and tracking health progress through monitoring, and assessing the nation’s health and facilitating collaboration across vast sectors to improve health.

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An epidemiological approach to health is vital in explaining the importance of health needs assessments in the spheres of healthcare delivery and planning to populations. The approach also helps in describing the needs to specific health problems using estimates of prevalence, incidences, and problems other health surrogates emanating from interventions that are cost effective in meeting the burden of the needs of ill health (Williams & Wright, 1998).Key indicators regarding health of populations are under their categorized mathematical measurements which are based on absolute and relative measures, coupled with their epidemiological interpretation and the type of indicators like morbidity, mortality, behavioral risk factors , and those used for evaluating services of health .

According to the Pan African Health Organization (2020), the epidemiological interpretation of prevalence rates would therefore be used in the population in determining whoever has or has not given a disease, albeit it may not indicate the risks of getting the disease. As per the Office of the Disease Prevention and Heath Promotion, ((2020), the leading health indicators of the subset of 26 healthy people in the 2020 objectives in communicating health issues of high priority from 2010 to 2014 underscored that 14 of the 26 indicators which is 53.9%have shown drastic improvement or met their targets. The indicators according to the Office of the Disease Prevention and Heath Promotion. (2020): 4 indicators (15.4%) have met or exceeded their Healthy People 2020 targets,10 indicators (38.5%) are improving,8 indicators (30.8%) show little or no detectable change,3 indicators (11.5%) are getting worse, and 1 indicator (3.8%) has only baseline data.

According to County Health Rankings (2017), health is usually influenced by where one lives, works, learns or plays hence there is need for change in the community to wards better factors that influence how long and well we live, stemming from home qualities to neighborhood safety, and to opportunities for education and good jobs. live Two key indicators that I depict as a problem in my community are nutrition encompassing obesity and physical and maternal health and infant health. In the realism of maternal health and infant health, the wellbeing of mothers and infants are the key determinants of health in the future generation besides action as a prediction to future health challenges in the community.

Despite tremendous advances in the healthcare, my community, threats to maternal infant and maternal the health of children still exist in my community. According to the County Health Rankings (2017), most women suffer pregnancy complications and are at risks of dying during pregnancy or when giving birth hence there is the need to prevent future health problems from women and their children from problems like genetic conditions, heart problems, and unhealthy weight among others. As per the Pan African Health Organization (2020), another key health indicator in my community is nutrition whereby most people in my community do not eat a healthy diet besides not being physically active in maintaining proper health. Such behaviors have subsequently resulted into drastic increase in obesity inn my community and conditions related to obesity like stroke and diabetes, hence there is a need for a healthy diets and participation in physical activities in maintaining a healthy body.

Disparities should not only be interpreted to mean racial or ethnic disparities but should also be viewed I bn the dimensions of health outcomes on whether it has a greater or lesser extent in the populations. Health disparities underscores special types of differences in health that may be interlinked to the social, environmental and economic disadvantages. Some of the health disparities are the special healthcare needs or disability status, and status geographic location that contribute to the ability of an individual to receive good healthcare needs. It is therefore essential to is identify the impacts of such disparities on the health outcomes of populations, coupled with health equity to prevent obstacles to health.

Finally, the three community leaders who can help in the review of a proposed action plan regarding the public health system would a representative from the health departments, commonly the medical director, a healthcare provider in the community, probably a nurse a leader from the technologist department, pastoral caregivers, and a leader from the government department preferably the county health commissioner. According to the Center for Disease and Control (2017), the leaders selected would all help in the reviewing of an action plan, provision of essential services to health, and improving access and quality of health. Moreover, the community leaders would help in the effective implementation of healthcare action plans by compelling data and evidence for action in broad coalition, effective communication and in sustaining political commitments that are vital for the success of the public healthcare system.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2017). National Center for HealthStatistics. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/County Health Rankings. (2017). How healthy is yourcommunity? http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/

Office of the Disease Prevention and Heath Promotion. (2020). Healthy people 2020 leadinghealth indicators: Progress update. Healthy People 2030 |health.gov. https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/leading-health-indicators/HealthyPeople-2020-Leading-Health-Indicators%3A-Progress-Update

Pan African Health Organization. (2020). HEALTH INDICATORS: Conceptual and operationalconsiderations (Section 2). PAHO. https://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14402:heah-indicators-conceptual-and-operational-considerations-section-2&Itemid=

Williams, R., & Wright, J. (1998). Health needs assessment: Epidemiological issues in healthneeds assessment. BMJ, 316(7141), 1379-1382. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.316.7141.1379