PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT
MGR KAROLINA KULIŃSKA LLB MME I 2019/20
WHAT IS IT?
PUBLIC HEALTH = the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting human health through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals.
Public health management
a pillar of public health practice, along with epidemiology, health policy, behavioural sciences and education, environmental health, and biostatistics. Only through effective management can research, theory, and scientific innovation be translated into successful public health action
the optimal use of the resources of society and its health services towards the improvement of the health experience of the population
Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030
(…) capable public health managers, in addition to capable public health professionals, are “… essential in order to provide political leaders with the required evidence and technical advice, and to guarantee effective implementation and oversight of policies, norms, and guidelines once these are developed.”
HEALTH SYSTEMS CHARACTERISTIC (Lewis et. al 2000)
1. Health care systems want to grow – they are by nature expansionist;
2. Higher health spending does not necessarily lead to higher health status – some lower-spending countries such as Japan have better health status than higher spending countries like the US;
3. Universal access to health care does not lead to universally good health – the wealthier groups in society often continue to remain healthier than those who are poor;
4. Public awareness of risks to health has improved even if much of this is media driven with the consequences associated with such a development;
HEALTH SYSTEMS CHARACTERISTIC (Lewis et. al 2000)
5. Health care almost always wins out in the competition for resources - even when governments proclaim their commitment to health and prevention they often fail to back it up by shifting resources;
6. Changing the distribution of health status through upstream strategies is extraordinarily difficult with interventions intended to benefit the disadvantaged often benefiting the already advantaged thereby widening disparties and the health gap.
Distinguishing features of public health management
1. is multi-sectoral and professional 2. combines knowledge and action 3. has epidemiology at its core
4. is influential across all health determinants
5. involves public health reporting, leading to health strategy development 6. communicates with politicians, professionals and the public
7. is influential organisationally and financially 8. lies at the heart of the civic society.
Roles of public health management
1. advocacy and management roles 2. knowledge and action
3. managerial capacity and infrastructure
4. networking to create partnerships across organisations and disciplines 5. broad involvement of people and skills
6. infrastructure and curricula for education 7. evidence based policy and practice
8. an outcome based focus
9. a national agenda for health and health services research.
Key Areas of Competence for Public Health
1. understanding health and disease, assessing health status
2. evidence-based decisions, research and information management 3. disease surveillance and control
4. promoting health and wellbeing
5. evaluating and improving health outcomes and the effectiveness and efficiency of 6. health care
7. management and leadership
8. intersectoral and collaborative working and co-ordination 9. advocacy and communication
