Population Health

Introduction

Governmental health departments have a lucid duty in ensuring that the citizenry/populace receives protection from health injuries, and also effective prevention of diseases. Therefore, appropriate understanding of new emerging health concepts remains an integral requirement in ascertaining the wellbeing of the residents. This paper intends to underscore the definition of population health as an emerging health concept as well as, need to embrace it as a leading concept in ensuring proper health is provided to the general public.

Kindig and Stoddard, assert that population health is an approach focusing on unified conditions and factors influencing the health of populations over time and identifying variations in their patterns of happenings. Thereby using the resultant understanding to build up and employ policies and measures to advance the wellbeing of the populace. 

The above definition consequently implies that, population health acts as a framework aimed at providing opinion on reasons behind various populations being healthier than others. Therefore, an array of benefit exists as a result of the concept adoption. Significant improvements of disease prevention strategies and creation of programming/policies directed at improving the standards of vulnerable population, become attainable thereby contributing to the development of a sustainable health care system.

Strategically each avoided illness potentially translates into avoided diagnostic and treatment services. In addition, population health approach has positively reduced investment incurred on treatment, and in so doing improving the economic status of the populace.

Disparity in health investment has had no alteration despite the adoption of the approach of population, health practitioners excessively engage in curing and managing diseases preventable with investments in the correct approaches such as population health. Meaning that resources are widely invested in curative services rather than preventive ones and thus actually reducing the effectiveness intended in the quest to attain a healthy population.

In conclusion, the goal of maximizing population health can be achieved not only by dependence on compelling the community and policy makers to carry out the relevant health related activities. Therefore, understanding population health concept is fully invested on various stakeholders who intricately, are required to understand and implement best health practices aimed at improving a populaces’ health service provision.

Thus, governmental department and health service providers should ensure that population health of a populace meets the threshold required in determining the effectiveness of the approach. Thereby fostering development of an effective health care system.