What is Public Health?
Public Health is the science of protecting and improving the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles, and research for disease and injury prevention.
Public health professionals analyze the effect on health of genetics, personal choice and the environment in order to develop programs that protect the health of your community.
Overall, public health is concerned with protecting the health of entire populations. These populations can be as small as a local neighborhood, or as big as an entire country.
Association of Schools of Public Health. (2011). What is Public Health? Retrieved from http://whatispublichealth.org/what/
What is Public Health? (Continued)
What isn’t public health? The mission of public health is to “fulfill society’s
interest in assuring conditions in which people can be healthy.”
Three core functions Assessment Policy development Assurance
Institute of Medicine, Committee for the Study of the Future of Public Health, Division of Health Care Services. (1988). The Future of Public Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
What is Public Health? (Overview)
Population focus, not individual Interdisciplinary Assess health status of populations Develop policy Promote access to healthcare
Essential Public Health Services
Developed by the Core Public Health Functions Steering Committee (1994) Included reps from
national organizations and federal agencies
Charge: To provide a description and definition of public health
Developed the “Public Health in America” statement
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006). National Public Health Performance Standards Program: Orientation to the Essential Public Health Services. Retrieved from http://cdc.gov/nphpsp/documents/EssentialServicesPresentation.pdf
Public Health in America
Vision: Healthy people in healthy communities
Mission: Promote physical and mental health and Prevent disease, injury, and disability
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006). National Public Health Performance Standards Program: Orientation to the Essential Public Health Services. Retrieved from http://cdc.gov/nphpsp/documents/EssentialServicesPresentation.pdf
Essential Services of Public Health
Monitor health status Diagnose and
investigate Inform, educate, and
empower Mobilize community
partnerships Develop policies and
plans
Enforce laws and regulations
Link people to needed services / assure care
Assure a competent workforce
Evaluate health services
ResearchCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006). National Public Health Performance Standards Program: Orientation to the Essential Public Health Services. Retrieved from http://cdc.gov/nphpsp/documents/EssentialServicesPresentation.pdf
Who does Public Health?
Public health professionals work in: Governmental public health
Local State Federal
Community based organizations Community clinics Non-profits like the American Lung Association
Industry Pharmaceutical industry
Who does Public Health? (Continued)
The responsibility for the protection of the public’s health lies with the government
> 400,000 public health workers 1/3 Local Government 1/3 State Government 1/5 Federal Government Academia, Industry, NGO
Estimated Public Health Workers by EEO-4 Occupational Category: National Summary
Gebbie, K. (2000). The Public Health Work Force: Enumeration 2000. Retrieved from http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/phwfenumeration2000.pdf
Estimated Public Health Professionals by Selected Occupational Title: National Summary
Gebbie, K. (2000). The Public Health Work Force: Enumeration 2000. Retrieved from http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/phwfenumeration2000.pdf
What Kinds of Information Does Public Health Need?
Evidence-Based Medicine1. Convert information needs into answerable questions
2. Track down, with maximum efficiency, the best evidence with which to answer these questions (from the clinical examination, the diagnostic laboratory, the published literature, or other sources)
3. Critically appraise that evidence performance for its validity (closeness to the truth) and usefulness (clinical applicability)
4. Apply the results of this appraisal in clinical practice
5. Evaluate performance
Adapting EBM to Evidence-Based Public Health
Brownson, R.C., Gurney, J.G., & Land, G.H. (1999). Evidence-Based Decision Making in Public Health. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 5(5), 86-97.
So… What is Known?
Public health data Surveillance data (National, State, Local) Vital records data Socio-demographic data
Intervention effectiveness Policy effectiveness Laws affecting public health Emerging disease facts
Information Needs
1. Better tools and resources for contacting experts
2. Timely updates on pertinent legislative issues and events
3. Structured information (metadata) characterizing the contents of data sets
4. Outcome measures and best practice resources
5. Better scheduling tools and calendar information
6. Standard templates for often-used applications
7. Knowledge-based information from external databases
Rambo, N. (2005). Public Health: Population-Based Approaches to Improving Health – Information Needs, Resources, and Uses. Retrieved from http://nnlm.gov/pnr/training/PHInfoNeeds.ppt
Summary of Public Health Information Needs
Revere, D., Turner, A.M., Madhavan, A., Rambo, N., Bugni, P.F., Kimball, A., & Fuller, S.S. (2007). Understanding the Information Needs of Public Health Practitioners: A Literature Review to Inform Design of an Interactive Digital Knowledge Management System. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 40(4), 410-421.
$$$$ The Million Dollar Question
Where do we find this data? Barriers
Access to the internet Access to journal subscriptions Knowledge about using search engines Ability/confidence to assess validity/reliability of information Knowledge of and access to gray literature
A Specific Example
A health educator in a small local health department is asked to develop a program to combat childhood obesity in the community. What types of information might s/he need to get
started on this task? Where might s/he find the information? What kind of help can a librarian provide? How can s/he connect with a librarian?