How Preventive and Community-Based Healthcare Can Help in my Future

Career

I. What is Preventive and Community-Based Healthcare?

Prophylaxis is a way to stop a disease from starting and is part of preventive healthcare.

Disease and incapacity are dynamic processes that begin before people know they have an

influence. These processes are affected by environmental factors, genetic predisposition,

pathogens, and lifestyle choices. Before a disease happens, three types of actions are taken.

These are primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.

Every year, millions of individuals lose their lives to preventable causes. More than half

of all deaths in the Philippines in 2000 were the result of avoidable actions and conditions,

according to research conducted in 2004. Cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory illness,

unintentional traumas, diabetes, and some viral infections were the top causes of death. Almost

400,000 Americans die each year due to a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, according to the

conclusions of the same study. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 55

million people died worldwide in 2011, nearly two-thirds of these fatalities attributable to non-

communicable diseases. Cancer, diabetes, and chronic cardiovascular and lung disorders are non-

communicable diseases. This is a substantial increase compared to 2000 when these diseases

caused sixty percent of all deaths.

Due to the worldwide growth in the prevalence of chronic diseases and mortality

attributable to these disorders, preventative medicine has assumed an increasingly vital role in

contemporary treatment. Several different measures can be utilized to avoid the illness. Reducing

the amount of information available to teen smokers is one of these measures. Even if adults and
children are in good health, it is recommended that they visit their doctor for regular checkups to

perform disease screening, identify risk factors for disease, discuss tips for a healthy and

balanced lifestyle, stay current with immunizations and boosters, and maintain a good

relationship with a healthcare provider.

Additionally, persons of all ages who require medical treatment at home have access to

community-based healthcare. Community care includes home care, nursing, physiotherapy, and

other rehabilitation services. For example, a nurse visits the residence of an older adult to

administer medication.

II. Important Applications of Preventive and Community-based Healthcare

Even though preventive treatment improves disease, disability, and mortality, millions of

Filipinos do not receive it, even during the Covid-19 strike. The Healthy People 2030 program

encourages preventative treatment for individuals of all ages. Appointments for well-child and

dental care evaluate children's growth and uncover health problems early when they are easier to

treat. Screenings, dental checkups, and vaccinations maintain the health of everyone. Many

individuals do not receive preventive care for various reasons. Cost, absence of a primary care

provider, distance from providers, and lack of knowledge regarding recommended preventative

services are obstacles. Education about preventive care increases the number of individuals who

receive recommended treatments. These critical services can be made more accessible by

implementing laws and policies.

III. Importance of Preventive and Community-based Healthcare

In community health, the statement "You take care of yourself; I'll take care of myself" is

inverted. Public health professionals believe that the health of a community can have far-
reaching and frequently unanticipated implications for the health of individuals. The health of a

society affects many things, including education, safety, crime, financial health, life expectancy,

and happiness. Health impacts everything, from a child's capacity to learn to an adult's capacity

to work. Therefore, health is essential for education and economic prosperity. Community health

neglect can generate numerous complex complications. Neglecting community health can lead to

a cycle of crime and safety. Crime and violence can be detrimental to your health.

To improve the health of a community, public health workers, local government officials,

volunteers, and regular people must work together. The results can be different. They are better

when communities have spaces to walk and cycle, fresh food, playgrounds, quick access to

health care, schools and work locations, and affordable housing. Community health is also

dependent on education. People can live better lives by going to health fairs and seeing ads that

tell them not to smoke, eat bad food, or stay inactive.

IV. Connection between the Preventive Community-based Healthcare and the Field

of Medico-Legal amidst Pandemic

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused extensive mortality and morbidity, which makes

medical ethics essential. Medical guidance assists doctors and other healthcare professionals in

avoiding harm. Medical ethics encompasses negligence, non-harm, and other concepts. Patients

and disciplinary organizations have sued several physicians for failing to observe medical ethics.

Some physicians have been barred from practicing medicine for months or years, or their names

have been removed from the country's list of licensed physicians. Community-based health

efforts are highly dependent on the significant issues of the day, the government's response, and

the functioning of the local community. Unlike other jobs, community-based health has always

been an essential part of public health and medical services.

 Application of the Best Practices in Public Health Administration in my

Future Career

I. What is Public Health Administration?

People who work in public health administration are primarily in charge of figuring out

the general needs in terms of health, coming up with ways to reach out to the community, and

running public health facilities. Their primary objective is to enhance the health and well-being

of the general public. Public health practice is mostly about clinical work, while public health

administration is mostly about making programs for the whole population and keeping an eye on

the organizations that run them. So, public health administration focuses more on the business

and organizational sides of public health projects than on the more hands-on parts of the job.

In public health administration, public health knowledge is integrated with an

organizational and managerial perspective. By coordinating community outreach activities and

supervising public health institutions at the municipal, state, and federal levels, their primary

purpose is to improve the overall health of the people.

II. How Public Health Administration Works

Administrators in the field of public health work to improve the health of their

communities as a whole and manage the groups that give people information about health issues.

Most of these employees are employed by public health authorities, although schools and non-

profit groups use others. They assess the community's health issues and educate individuals on

how to be healthy and better manage health issues. The public health administrator is in charge

of finding ways to reach out to the community to teach people about things like lead poisoning

and to deal with long-term problems like sexually transmitted infections. It is assumed that the
administrator possesses the same management abilities as the CEO. They make budgets, hire

staff, set up the office, and buy any needed equipment. As budgets get tighter, the time

administrators spend writing grant proposals and asking for money becomes more critical.

When they identify a new health trend or occurrence, they must produce a report

describing how they believe it will affect the local community. The manager of public health

services must strike a balance between the limited funding available and the compassion

necessary to deliver primary care. She is frequently confronted with contradictory data and

requests. Therefore, they must be able to make a decision. When public officials or the media

inquire about their choices, they must also explain. Administrators are commonly observed

participating in a variety of community activities. In a typical week, they work five and a half

days, but they are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Officials are required to complete

tasks faster than ever with fewer resources. This is due to budget cuts in the healthcare sector.

Due to this, many administrators have been pushed to the limit of their creative problem-solving

abilities.

III. Applications of Public Health Administration

Several public health projects are currently being administered by the Department of

Health (DOH) to assist the nation in coping with the triple burden of diseases. This triple burden

encompasses morbidity from infectious diseases, mortality from noncommunicable diseases

(NCDs), and the rising frequency of accidents, mental health, and alcohol and drug misuse. The

programs are as follows: a) the National Immunization Program; b) the Women, Men, and

Children's Health Development Programs; c) the HIV/AIDS and STI Prevention, Emerging and

Re-emerging Infectious Disease, Integrated Helminth Control, Food, and Waterborne Diseases
Prevention and Control, and National Dengue Prevention and Control Programs; d) the

Tuberculosis Control Program; e) the Malaria Control, Schistosomiasis Control Programs.

IV. Use of Public Health Administration for Medico-legal Experts

Medical-legal investigations of deaths have grown easier to access as a source of

information with the advent of computerized data systems and the cooperation of public health

administration. This is significant because these investigations generate data for public health

initiatives. Despite the time and cost benefits, it is not yet known how effective this method

works, its limitations, or how it affects the research results. This study analyzes the

aforementioned difficulty utilizing data from the National Coronial Information System. Few

governments codified an early recognition that the results of death investigations could affect

public health and safety. Electronic systems store the medicolegal assessments of unexpected

and unnatural deaths conducted by coroners and medical examiners to help general health and

safety activities. Sociodemographic data, medical history, cause of death, medical and scientific

tests, and legal proceedings are included. Due to the population-based character of medical-legal

death investigation data, it is beneficial for preventive medicine. Increasingly, these data are used

to investigate unnecessary deaths and potential solutions. This is critical for health and safety

policymakers and practitioners at the population level. These developments allow public health

researchers to collect mortality statistics more quickly and affordably. It is more exhaustive and

precise than death certificates and police records. It eliminates the need to do many manual

searches and read through all paper documents to discover cases and collect the necessary

information.
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