The expectancy of life has risen significantly during the last centuries (Schneider & Lilienfeld, 2011, p. 13). Such positive tendency is closely related to the development of the concept of public health aimed at maintaining good health state among the members of society. This concept involves a wide range of activities, such as preventing the diseases, collecting the statistical data about epidemiology, and providing efficient treatment. Promoting public health is the primary duty of every specialist involved in providing health care services, as it is directly related to ensuring a good quality of life of the patients, which is the primary aim of health care system.
Public health is based on the organization of community efforts to improve the conditions that lead to the better overall safety of the members of society. Each of such efforts usually includes three functions: assessment, policy development, and assurance (Schneider, 2011, p. 5). The first function is aimed at diagnosing and identifying health problems in the community. Every medical worker can contribute to investigating health hazards by collecting appropriate data based on everyday work experience, analyzing it and presenting to appropriate institutions. Identifying potential dangerous tendencies is of vital importance for the prevention of development of epidemics. Policy development is aimed at supporting community health efforts (Schneider, 2011, p. 5). Every health care provider can influence this process by presenting the evidence of the effectiveness of certain strategies and practices. To assure the effectiveness of public health policies, the specialist can check its consequences on practice and analyze possible drawbacks and methods for their elimination.
Promoting public health is of vital importance for ensuring the proper functioning of the society, as health issues directly affect each sphere of our everyday life. Every medical worker should pay special attention to participating in activities related to public health, as they help to create opportunities for long, healthy and happy life for every patient.
References
Schneider, D., & Lilienfeld, D. E. (2011). Public health: Twentieth century challenges. Piscataway, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.
Schneider, M.-J. (2011). Introduction to public health (3rd ed.). Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.