Abstract
Public health seeks to protect and improve the health of communities through the promotion of healthy lifestyles, research for disease and injury prevention, and detection and control of infectious diseases. It is a population-focused science that works primarily with prevention strategies, policies implementation, service administration, and research. While this field seemingly contrasts with the field of clinical medicine—in which patients are treated on an individual level after becoming sick or injured—public health concepts regarding prevention are critical knowledge areas for any health professional. In recent years, public health courses have been incorporated into degree requirements for a variety of health-related professions; however, several studies have indicated that health professions students have negative attitudes toward these courses for a variety of reasons. Given the importance of public health as a crucial component of health profession education, it is important to understand how students’ perceptions of public health education are shaped to ensure effective integration.
Highlights
An alternative definition provided by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1988 highlights the intimate relationship between public health and human rights ethics; the IOM stated that the goal of public health is to promote the welfare of communities by “assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy” (Koplan et al, 2009)
This paper aims to examine the challenges associated with the integration of public health education into other health professions curricula, focusing on students’ negative attitudes toward public health courses as an obstacle to integration efforts
While the goal of integrating public health education into non-PH health professions education has both merit and promise, achieving such an objective is challenging for a variety of reasons
Summary
The birth of public health can be traced back to social reform and advancements in disease management on multiple geographic fronts in the nineteenth century; the field is founded on data-driven decision making, social justice and health equity, and preventive care at the population level rather than curative care at an individual level (Koplan et al, 2009). An alternative definition provided by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1988 highlights the intimate relationship between public health and human rights ethics; the IOM stated that the goal of public health is to promote the welfare of communities by “assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy” (Koplan et al, 2009). Traditional public health efforts include health promotion and education, injury prevention, disease surveillance and detection, emergency response, and the creation of evidence-based public policy. This paper aims to examine the challenges associated with the integration of public health education into other health professions curricula, focusing on students’ negative attitudes toward public health courses as an obstacle to integration efforts
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