Many physicians used to view healthcare from an individual perspective. However, there has been a recent departure in the individual provision of health care services, and the focus is now on the provision of healthcare to entire populations. The concept tries to come up with techniques to improve the health of all people. Population-based care can be simply defined as a method that perceives patients as those seeking healthcare services, not as isolated entities, but as members of certain groups who have shared healthcare needs (anon, 2000, p 1).
Community is generally defined as people living in a certain environment, who are usually subjected to the same conditions. The members of the community, therefore, face diverse medical conditions due to their existence in the community setting. However, a clear evaluation of the diseases shows that the diseases that the members face are somehow similar. Therefore, by taking several measures, the medical practitioner can help to improve the general health condition of the members of the community.
The course has enabled me to form a different perspective of the community and the medical needs, which the members of the community need. It has also underscored the need for a clear understanding of the needs of the community by expounding on the individual medical needs of the community members.
The course has helped me to identify ways in which to approach the issue of community/public health. Primarily, the approach used will help in the achievement of the desired results. The course has shown the value of undertaking research to identify the high-risk populations, as well as helping in formulating methods to deal with the high-risk population. It will also help in handling people who live in diverse cultural settings. The course has also shown that the provision of nursing services is usually affected by other factors. The importance of considering the regulations, which control the provision of nursing, has been further underscored by the course, as they will ultimately determine how the services will be provided (Maurer and Smith, 2005, p 3). The course has also shown that public health is a very vital aspect of governments if they need to reduce health care costs. The provision of efficient public health services helps the government to prevent some of the ailments that might have occurred to other citizens (Stanhope and Lancaster, 2004, p 1). This ultimately helps the government to save on its finances, hence enabling it to avail funds for undertaking other vital operations.
The health issue that has interested me the most is the issue of the public health provision for the minority groups in different populations. The minority groups are usually underrepresented; hence, their views are not incorporated in the provision of the community or public healthcare. For instance, the Latinos in America fall under this category, since, being a minority group, they face diverse conditions ranging from the lack of funds to the availability of healthcare services, which have their perspectives in mind. The cultural aspects of their community are not also taken into consideration in the provision of their healthcare needs. The neglect of the minority groups usually makes them to certain health conditions be so prevalent in the community (Aguirre-Molina, Molina and Zambrana, 2001, p 18). The provision of community healthcare services should therefore take into consideration the views of the minority groups in order for it to have any significance.
References
Aguirre-Molina, M., Molina, C. W. and Zambrana, R. E. (2001). Health issues in the Latino community. MA, John Wiley and Sons.
Anon. (2000). Population-based healthcare: definitions and applications. Tufts managed care institute. Web.
Maurer, F. A., Smith, C. M. (2005). Community/public health nursing practice: health for families and populations. PA: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Stanhope, M. and Lancaster, J. (2004). Community and Public Health Nursing. Missouri: Elsevier Health Sciences.