My department chair recently forwarded me a provocative little video regarding how we should conceptualize “population health.” The video encapsulates a number of hot topics in public health, labeled here as “population health”. It appropriately emphasizes the importance of addressing not just prevention among healthy populations, but also improving the health outcomes of high utilizers.
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Like it or not, many things that determine our daily satisfaction with our work are determined by policy. QI measures, the implementation of EMRs, the availability of cigarettes, the funding of GME positions, the strength of drunk driving laws, the availability of mental health care: these are all legislative decisions, with an intimate relationship to our work. Yet, only half of the practicing physicians in the U.S. report that they are actively involved in policy change/advocacy.
Think back to your last shift. How many of you saw someone whose chief complaint was “assault”? What did you do for the patient? If you’re like most of us, you ruled out acute life-threatening injuries, sighed loudly (especially if the person had been in the ED before for other fight-related injuries), and dispo’ed. But do you ever wonder if you should do more? Or why?
What is “Public Health“? According to the World Health Organization,
”Public health refers to all organized measures (whether public or private) to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole. Its activities aim to provide conditions in which people can be healthy and focus on entire populations, not on individual patients or diseases.”
Welcome to my inaugural post on ALiEM! My goal for this new series of missives is to inspire discussion about aspects of our life in EM, beyond the day-to-day clinical work. I chose emergency medicine not only for the clinical challenge, but also for the potential public health impact. After all, we are the only specialty to consistently care for the poor, the disempowered, the mentally ill.