Health and illness coexist, and individual factors make us realize that health is wealth. We become ignorant about our health, and most of us do not follow up with the doctor once we feel that we have recovered and there is no sign of illness. The diseases existing today are significantly impacting the health and well-being of our society. Chronic conditions like hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and other cardiovascular diseases account for seven in 10 deaths each year. Some studies suggest that our socioeconomic environment, ability to avail of healthcare services, and other public health factors determine 90% of our health.
The availability of healthcare services plays a decisive role in our health and well-being. The doctor and hospitals are our go-to place, but what will you do if your employer doesn’t give you sick days? How is a person supposed to eat the healthy diet recommended by his doctor when he doesn’t have a grocery store in his neighborhood? These two incidents quoted represent the aspects of public health. It also encompasses the details about hygiene, epidemiology, and prevention of diseases.
Medical doctors today have excellent knowledge and understanding of health issues and how to treat them. However, many are still unaware of public health aspects. Training doctors in public health can help them understand the socioeconomic factors involved in a disease. Health challenges like pandemic outbreaks require more detailed information on the environmental and social factors to prevent its prevalence. As a doctor, if you are looking for a degree in public health, ask for an MPH program overview to understand the academic aspects better.
The public health knowledge can help the doctors to modify the healthcare facilities and fill the gaps for lackness. Here is how it can reshape the medical profession positively.
- PREVENTS DISEASES
The doctors at the hospitals are trying their best to provide top-notch healthcare facilities and offer the best possible treatments. The medical professionals work within the hospital set up and interact with the patients only when they are at the hospital. They can’t visit the areas to assess the causes of the diseases that may involve socioeconomic or biological factors. For instance, if residents of an area face gastrointestinal illness due to contamination in their water supply, the doctor may not know about it. Training doctors or providing them the insights into public health management will help them design strategies or treatment plans. It can tackle those aspects and improve the quality of healthcare services.
- DEVELOP INFORMED PLANS AND STRATEGIES
Often we come to know about diseases or epidemics after extensive research. Doctors get to know about the modern treatments through training and studying. A doctor with background knowledge of public health can understand the dynamics of treatment and that some medicines might not work in underprivileged areas. Public health can revamp the treatment methodologies, giving doctors an edge to devise treatment plans and strategies, keeping the socioeconomic and environmental factors in mind. Doctors can also contribute to finding the solutions to the disease that are known and prevent other diseases from spreading. Doctors deal with patients from various backgrounds. They can have an idea about the areas and a little details about the environment and living standards.
- ENHANCES SERVICE QUALITY
We mostly revisit a place based on our first interaction or experience. The hospitals are a place for people to get treated for their ailments, but they also mean business. The communicable and non-communicable diseases are always on the rise, creating challenges for medical and public health professionals. Healthcare professionals trained in public health aspects can play a significant role in prevention, early detection, and decreasing the risks of chronic diseases. The older population’s risk factors are higher, and the strategies require more novelty to enhance healthcare services quality. Upon understanding public health dynamics, doctors can decide the services they can include or improvise according to their needs.
- CREATES GLOBAL IMPACT
Medical professionals having public health knowledge contribute not only to the community health and have a global presence. The healthcare industry intends to provide primary care and control the prevention of diseases. Doctors from different countries can coordinate and collaborate to devise plans and strategies. They can also share insights about various health issues to develop a prompt solution and action plan. Gathering data and sharing them on global platforms can also help the authorities devise policies considering the facts and figures. Doctors can help in policy-making decisions if they are aware of the public health aspects.
- PROBLEM-SOLVING APPROACH
Medical health professionals often have limited interaction with the patients as they move from one hospital to another. With public health expertise, doctors can understand the issues more clearly and offer better solutions based on their experiences with patients from diverse backgrounds. Their interaction with patients gives you an insight into their living and environmental factors in a particular area. The commonality of problems can find permanent solutions with a little contribution from the doctors.
CONCLUSION
Health professionals play a substantial role in improving the access and quality of health care services for the population. We all are living in different socioeconomic scenarios. They provide essential services that promote health and well-being on individual and community levels. With adequate knowledge and understanding of public health, healthcare service providers can reshape the quality of care and services. They can contribute significantly to preventing diseases, devising strategies that prioritize patients and their needs.