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Pros And Cons Of Population Health

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Population health is a field which includes health outcomes, patterns of health determinants and policies and interventions that link these two (Kindig & Stoddart, 2003). More recently, the National Academy of Medicine defined population health as an approach that treats the population as a whole (including the environmental and community contexts) as the patient (NACNEP, 2016). Allied health professionals relate to population health through the understanding of the increased demand to serve the population rather than only the individual. The three most critical areas to better serve the health of the population as allied health professionals include 1) viewing the population’s health as a whole, versus as individuals, 2) to emphasize the need to practice quality improvement and patient safety in all instances when a medical decision is made, and 3) take into consideration all sub-populations when judging the health of an entire population. To shift from individual patient care, based on active symptoms, is the current practice of most healthcare professionals. Population health in conjunction with allied health professionals proposes a shift from individual patient care, to care of the population as a whole. This would entail focusing on the environmental, social, and personal factors of a population. For example, looking at a population of Native Americans on the reservation one would notice an increased number of diabetic patients. The allied health professional would

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