Chapter 4 - Applying evidence-based strategies for public health preparedness and emergency management

Abstract

Public health practice includes delivering preventive, promotive, curative, and rehabilitative healthcare services at normal times and during emergencies. Though management of public health emergencies or disasters is integral to public health practice, it remains a neglected area across countries. Public health emergency and disaster terminologies are interchangeably used and nearly carry the same definitions. A routine practice situation becomes an emergency when the scale, timing, or unpredictability threatens to overwhelm routine capabilities to tackle them. In this background, the public health emergency is not the same for all conditions, people, settings, countries, and time periods. The principles and capabilities of a public health emergency preparedness and response need to be adopted in the routine public health practice for effective prevention and management of any emergency. Evidence-based strategies must be generated and used to prepare and manage public health emergencies. Advanced technologies potentially improve the efficiency of the public health system in public health preparedness and response. The growing threats of public health emergencies, especially due to globalization, need to be predicted and prevented in time.