| Public Health is a discipline that
aims to prevent diseases in populations rather than treat individuals.
Now is an important time for public health. Health expenditures
are skyrocketing, yet now more than ever, we know how to prevent
the top causes of premature death in America: heart disease,
cancer, stroke, and diabetes. |
| Distinctions
Between Public Health and Medicine |
| Medicine |
Public Health |
| Primary focus on individual |
Primary focus on population |
| Personal service ethic, in the context of social
responsibilities |
Public service ethic, as an extension for the individual |
| Emphasis on disease diagnosis, treatment, and
care for the individual patient |
Emphasis on disease prevention and health promotion for the
whole community |
| Medical paradigm places predominant emphasis
on medical care |
Public health paradigm employs a spectrum of interventions
aimed at the environment, human behavior and lifestyle, and
medical care |
| Uniform system for certifying specialists beyond
professional medical degree |
Variable certification of specialists beyond professional
public health degree |
Lines of specialization organized, for example,
by:
- Organ system (cardiology, neurology)
- Patient group (obstetrics, pediatrics)
- Etiology and pathophysiology (infectious disease, oncology)
- Technical skill (radiology, surgery)
|
Lines of specialization organized, for example,
by:
- Analytical method (epidemiology, toxicology)
- Setting and population (occupational health, international
health)
- Substantive health problem (environmental health, nutrition)
|
| Biological sciences central, stimulated by need
of patients; research moves between laboratory and bedside |
Biological sciences central, stimulated by major threats to
the health of populations; research moves between laboratory
and field |
| Numerical sciences increasing in prominence, though
still a relatively minor part of training |
Numerical sciences as essential feature of analysis and training |
| Social sciences tend to be an elective part of
medical education |
Social sciences an integral part of public health education |
