scholarly journals The Anticipated Future of Public Health Services Post COVID-19: Viewpoint (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haitham Bashier ◽  
Aamer Ikram ◽  
Mumtaz Ali Khan ◽  
Mirza Baig ◽  
Magid Al Gunaid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Priorities ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Future ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

UNSTRUCTURED In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected various public health functions and essential services in different ways and magnitudes. Although all countries have witnessed the effect of COVID-19, the impact differed based on many factors including the integrity and resiliency of the countries’ health systems. This paper presents opinions and expectations of the authors about the anticipated changes in the future of public health at the global, regional, and national levels. The viewpoint is based on the current efforts and challenges that various stakeholders have carried out to control COVID-19 and the contribution from the literature on the future of public health. Numerous agencies and actors are involved in the fight against COVID-19 with variations in their effectiveness. The public health services showed weaknesses in most of the countries, in addition to the lack of adequate curative medicine settings. The pandemic highlighted the need for better governance and stronger and more resilient health systems and capacities. The COVID-19 experience has also emphasized the importance of coordination and collaboration among the countries and stakeholders. The COVID-19 pandemic might lead to a wide discussion to improve international and national approaches to prepare for and respond to similar events in terms of preparedness and response mechanisms and tools. Public health will not be the same as before COVID-19. New health priorities, approaches, and new agendas will be on the table of the global platforms and initiatives. More investment in research and technology to meet the demand for new vaccines and medicines, innovative methods like distance learning and working, more respect and remuneration to health professionals, and normalization of the public health and social measures that were induced during the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to be seen in future.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the first pharmacy-led weight management programme in Greece

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. i45-i46
Author(s):  
A Peletidi ◽  
R Kayyali
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Annual Report ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Cvd Risk ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Introduction Obesity is one of the main cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.(1) In primary care, pharmacists are in a unique position to offer weight management (WM) interventions. Greece is the European country with the highest number of pharmacies (84.06 pharmacies per 100,000 citizens).(2) The UK was chosen as a reference country, because of the structured public health services offered, the local knowledge and because it was considered to be the closest country to Greece geographically, unlike Australia and Canada, where there is also evidence confirming the potential role of pharmacists in WM. Aim To design and evaluate a 10-week WM programme offered by trained pharmacists in Patras. Methods This WM programme was a step ahead of other interventions worldwide as apart from the usual measuring parameters (weight, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure (BP)) it also offered an AUDIT-C and Mediterranean diet score tests. Results In total,117 individuals participated. Of those, 97.4% (n=114), achieved the programme’s aim, losing at least 5% of their initial weight. The mean % of total weight loss (10th week) was 8.97% (SD2.65), and the t-test showed statistically significant results (P<0.001; 95% CI [8.48, 9.45]). The programme also helped participants to reduce their waist-to-height ratio, an early indicator of the CVD risk in both male (P=0.004) and female (P<0.001) participants. Additionally, it improved participants’ BP, AUDIT-C score and physical activity levels significantly (P<0.001). Conclusion The research is the first systematic effort in Greece to initiate and explore the potential role of pharmacists in public health. The successful results of this WM programme constitute a first step towards the structured incorporation of pharmacists in public’s health promotion. It proposed a model for effectively delivering public health services in Greece. This study adds to the evidence in relation to pharmacists’ CVD role in public health with outcomes that superseded other pharmacy-led WM programmes. It also provides the first evidence that Greek pharmacists have the potential to play an important role within primary healthcare and that after training they are able to provide public health services for both the public’s benefit and their clinical role enhancement. This primary evidence should support the Panhellenic Pharmaceutical Association, to “fight” for their rights for an active role in primary care. In terms of limitations, it must be noted that the participants’ collected data were recorded by pharmacists, and the analysis therefore depended on the accuracy of the recorded data, in particular on the measurements or calculations obtained. Although the sample size was achieved, it can be argued that it is small for the generalisation of findings across Greece. Therefore, the WM programme should be offered in other Greek cities to identify if similar results can be replicated, so as to consolidate the contribution of pharmacists in promoting public health. Additionally, the study was limited as it did not include a control group. Despite the limitations, our findings provide a model for a pharmacy-led public health programme revolving around WM that can be used as a model for services in the future. References 1. Mendis S, Puska P, Norrving B, World Health Organization., World Heart Federation., World Stroke Organization. Global atlas on cardiovascular disease prevention and control [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization in collaboration with the World Heart Federation and the World Stroke Organization; 2011 [cited 2018 Jun 26]. 155 p. Available from: http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/publications/atlas_cvd/en/ 2. Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union. Pharmacy with you throughout life:PGEU Annual Report [Internet]. 2015. Available from: https://www.pgeu.eu/en/library/530:annual-report-2015.html

Developing High Quality Public Health Services Across the Union That Are Equally Accessible to All

2018 ◽  
pp. 1924-1947
Author(s):  
Androutsou Lorena ◽  
Androutsou Foulvia
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Member State ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
High Quality ◽  
The Public ◽  
European Health

Health systems are facing greater demands and challenges. Access to all with high-quality standards has been a key challenge for the European health systems, however, they are engaged to take care of the rights of those in need. This article aims to identify public health areas and values. It offers many opportunities to help policy and decision makers to write “policy briefs” and to clearly outline the rationale for action. It will pursuit to enhance local capacities and skills to plan, implement, evaluate and sustain system improvements. There is a need both at Member State and European levels to support the public health services to shape the future of health and healthcare.

scholarly journals Impact of lockdown measures in abating the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons from India’s phased approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Singh ◽  
K Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
Daily Data ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
The Government ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020 and characterized the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. India enacted such measures early on for effective mitigation and suppression to reduce community transmission, including an onerous national lockdown. The impact of the health system governance is quite apparent among all stakeholders including the public in such emergency contexts. Methods We compiled the daily data on the number of COVID-19 cases, recoveries and deaths from January 30th until June 16th, 2020. Different stages were categorized from post PHEIC declaration (pre-lockdown) phase to lockdown phases and unlocking phase as implemented. The several measures adopted by the national government were structured in four broad categories as Governance and socioeconomic, travel restrictions, lockdown and public health measures. These measures were compared during each phase. Results It was revealed that while the cases are rising the phased restrictions has helped in delaying the peak and remarkably interrupted the rate of transmission. The national average doubling rate was 3 days at the beginning which improved to 22 days. The basic reproduction number remained close to 1 during the last week of lockdown. However, the initial interruption of needed aid and technical support had negative social and economic impacts on the affected population. Conclusions As the situation abates following the measures adopted by the government, an articulate strategy of unlocking through increased testing and prompt isolation needs to be developed for more effective reduction and protecting the livelihoods allowing to further relax the lockdown measures. Key messages There is need for the local government to consider a strategic easing of the lockdown for protecting the rights of the most affected population. As the transmission rates are low, the easing of lockdown can be benefited from improved testing and prompt isolation.

scholarly journals Public Health Systems and Services Research: Dataset Development, Dissemination, and Use

2009 ◽  
Vol 124 (3) ◽  
pp. 372-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Douglas Scutchfield ◽  
Nikki Lawhorn ◽  
Rick Ingram ◽  
Debra Joy Pérez ◽  
Rick Brewer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Services Research ◽  
Data Resource ◽  
Public Health Systems ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Research Resources

Public health systems and services research (PHSSR) is defined as “a field of study that examines the organization, financing, and delivery of public health services within communities and the impact of those services.” PHSSR is a relatively young field and suffers from a paucity of research resources. In this article, we describe the development and utility of a data resource, housed on the Health Services and Sciences Research Resources website maintained by the National Library of Medicine, which provides easy access to instruments, indices, and datasets that are relevant to PHSSR researchers. We also investigate efforts to promote the use and dissemination of these data resources, including the awarding of research grants and the organization of a PHSSR conference.

scholarly journals The COVID-19 Pandemic, Biogerontology, and the Ageing of Humanity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Farrelly
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Priorities ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
Disease Mortality ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Health Burdens

Abstract The World Health Organization designated the decade 2020–2030 as the “decade of healthy ageing.” It is a tragic irony that the year 2020 should begin with a pandemic that is so lethal for older persons. Not only are older persons the most vulnerable to COVID-19 mortality, but many of the mitigation efforts to slow the spread of the virus have imposed yet further emotional and mental health burdens on the most vulnerable among those older than 70 years. To help prevent future infectious disease mortality and suffering, as well as the profound health burdens from the chronic diseases associated with ageing, insights from biogerontology must become an integral part of global public health priorities. The timing is ripe for making the public health aspiration of developing an applied gerontological intervention a reality.

Developing High Quality Public Health Services Across the Union that are Equally Accessible to All

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-39
Author(s):  
Androutsou Lorena ◽  
Androutsou Foulvia
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Member State ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
High Quality ◽  
The Public ◽  
European Health

Health systems are facing greater demands and challenges. Access to all with high-quality standards has been a key challenge for the European health systems, however, they are engaged to take care of the rights of those in need. This article aims to identify public health areas and values. It offers many opportunities to help policy and decision makers to write “policy briefs” and to clearly outline the rationale for action. It will pursuit to enhance local capacities and skills to plan, implement, evaluate and sustain system improvements. There is a need both at Member State and European levels to support the public health services to shape the future of health and healthcare.

The public health importance of hookworm disease

Parasitology ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 121 (S1) ◽  
pp. S39-S50 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.W.T. CROMPTON
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Iron Status ◽  
Feeding Activity ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

The public health significance of hookworm disease is briefly reviewed. The latest evidence confirms that blood loss caused by the worms' feeding activity in the gut is a contributing factor in the development of poor iron status leading to iron-deficiency anaemia. The World Health Organization has identified adolescent girls and women of child-bearing age as high-risk groups regarding the impact of hookworm disease. The merits of treating pregnant women with anthelminthic drugs after the first trimester are discussed.

scholarly journals Algerian University During the Corona Virus Pandemic: COVID-19 - Bechar University as a Sample

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Souad Guessar
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Authority ◽  
The Public ◽  
Corona Virus ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

In March 2020, the World Health Organization announced that the new Corona virus is a global pandemic. The World Health Organization and the public health authority of various countries are working to contain the spread of the virus through quarantine. But these crises raise the level of stress and psychological tension on individuals and society. As well as Algeria is not an exception and this research will be on the extent of the impact of the pandemic on the conduct of lessons at the universities level in Algeria, which were not equipped for such situations during the outbreak of the emerging corona virus, and try to analyze the situation and then proposing some solutions that can work if it hurts humanity and the Algerians, especially an epidemic like the Corona virus pandemic (COVID-19).

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