Introduction to Healthcare and Public Health in the US

Introduction to Healthcare and Public Health in the US:

Discussion Questions with Expected Outcomes

Discussion questions (for individual assignments or small group discussion):

Lecture 7a

1. What are the main differences between public and private health?

Expected Outcome: Public health: is focused on health of populations (vs. health of individuals); is organized at the agency level (vs. clinicians, health practitioners); performs actions including education, policy, research, monitoring (vs. taking action after illness/injury).

Objective(s): 1

Lecture(s)/Slide(s): a2

2. Can any condition or disease be addressed by public health? What are the criteria for assigning public heath interest?

Expected Outcome: Public health does not have sufficient resources to address every condition. Topics must meet the criteria of being a combination of severe, preventable, and prevalent in order to warrant public health investment.

Objective(s): 1

Lecture(s)/Slide(s): a3

3. What are some of the first critical steps in the history of public health in the US?

Expected Outcome: The 1798 Act that established a federal network of hospitals for ill/disabled merchant seamen is widely considered to have laid the foundation for the national public health service. In the 1800’s , events such as the introduction of smallpox vaccination technique, the transfer of some public health functions to the federal level (such as the National Quarantine Act and Immigration Legislation), and the establishment of the first school of public health all advanced public health in the US.

Objective(s): 2

Lecture(s)/Slide(s): a4-5

4. What was the original purpose of the CDC? How has that changed?

Expected Outcome: The CDC was established in 1946 primarily as a means to fight malaria by control of mosquitos. The agency has grown into a massive US public health agency, working to monitor and prevent outbreaks, maintain national health statistics, and to prevent and control infectious and chronic diseases, injuries, and environmental health hazards.

Objective(s): 2

Lecture(s)/Slide(s): a7

5. Describe some of the most important achievements in US public health, and explain why they were so critical?

Expected Outcome: Achievements include the nationalization of quarantine functions (CDC), worldwide eradication of smallpox, AIDS research, HIPAA, and others. All indicate important advances in public health that have led to vastly improved population health.

Objective(s): 2

Lecture(s)/Slide(s): a9-13, possibly others

Lecture 7b

1. Define and contrast some key terms. For example, what is the meaning of and relationship between outbreak, epidemic, and pandemic?

Expected Outcome: An outbreak (sudden rapid development of a disease in a population) may lead to an epidemic (disease affecting numerous people at the same time), and even expand into a pandemic (an extensive epidemic, maybe covering an entire country or continent).

Objective(s): 3

Lecture(s)/Slide(s): b2

2. Which of the core areas of public health seem related most to education? To monitoring and surveillance? To policy?

Expected Outcome: Answers may vary. Education topics could include Health Education, Public Health Policy, Nutrition, others. Monitoring and surveillance topics might include Epidemiology, International health, Maternal and child health, others. Policy topics might include Public Health Policy, Health Services Administration, others.

Objective(s): 4

Lecture(s)/Slide(s): b4

3. In general, what are the three levels of public health?

Expected Outcome: The three levels are local, state, and federal.

Objective(s): 4

Lecture(s)/Slide(s): b5, 10

4. How do data flow between those levels?

Expected Outcome: Disease reports are made to public health by laboratories, clinicians, others. These reports are investigated at the local and/or state level, and then reported to the federal level.

Objective(s): 4

Lecture(s)/Slide(s): b8-10

Lecture 7c

1. Discuss the public health achievements that impact everyday life in the US. Select one achievement that you feel is especially important, and describe its impact.

Expected Outcome: Answers will vary. Student might select the example of unleaded gasoline, and discuss the dramatic decrease in childhood blood lead levels after lead was removed from gasoline.

Objective(s): 5

Lecture(s)/Slide(s): c3

2. What change(s) to the design of the Tuskegee Study would have made this terrible study a valid and ethical study?

Expected Outcome: Once a treatment was available (penicillin), make it available to all the subjects.

Objective(s): 5

Lecture(s)/Slide(s): c4

3. When reviewing the top ten public health achievements of the 20th century, which do you feel should continue to be a focus of public health in the 21st century and which do you think have been largely resolved (not that they should be neglected, just that current levels of intervention are working fine)?

Expected Outcome: Some achievements may not need additional focus above the current levels of intervention. For example, maintenance of current water fluoridation levels may be sufficient.

Objective(s): 5

Lecture(s)/Slide(s): c5

4. Which of the highlighted public health achievements do you feel has been the most valuable to the US population in terms of quality of life vs life expectancy?

Expected Outcome: Answers will vary due to the subjective nature of the question. One possibility would be that the lowering of blood lead levels in children has in general improved quality of life more than it has affected life expectancy.

Objective(s): 5

Lecture(s)/Slide(s): c5

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Introduction to Healthcare and Public Health in the US1

Version 3.0 / Spring 2012Introduction and History of Modern Healthcare in the US

This material (Comp1_Unit7) was developed by Oregon Health and Science University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number IU24OC000015.