PBHL20001 Understanding Public Health Essay 3 Sample
The third assessment task for this unit is a reflective practice assignment of about 2000 words that describes your growing understanding of Public Health as a discipline. This is an individual assignment. You are strongly encouraged to work on your reflection throughout the term and to make notes of ideas that occur to you or issues that interest you that you can include when you write your assignment.
Your reflection should focus on how your understanding of Public Health changed over the course of the term, and you should compare your knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes at the beginning of this unit with how you feel at the end. You should also reflect specifically on the following questions:
1. How does an understanding of the history of Public Health contribute to professional practice?
2. How important are the non-health factors that are part of public health practice?
3. What are some of the ethical issues associated with public health practice?
4. How will the things you have learned as part of this unit affect your own practice in the future?
This reflective assignment is an essay. A less formal writing style may be used, and references are not required.
Solution
Introduction
The lessons I've learned in this unit profoundly influenced my understanding of public health practice. In preparation for my future professional practice, I have researched and thought deeply about a wide range of ethical dilemmas, non-health factors, and public health's rich and varied history. In this reflection, I'll discuss how learning about the history of public health has prepared me for the ethical challenges I'll face in my future career as a healthcare practitioner.
Discussion of How a Knowledge of the History of PH Contributes To Professional Practice
My professional practice and efficiency as a health care practitioner are shaped by my knowledge of Public Health's history. I learned a lot about the development of Public Health and the lessons acquired from past difficulties and accomplishments by looking back into the past. With this information in hand, I will be better able to handle current situations and make choices that will benefit people's health and the health of their communities.
Recognising the game-changing influence of earlier innovations is an essential part of learning about Public Health's long and eventful history. The advancements achieved in ensuring public health are more fully appreciated by me when I learn about pivotal occasions like the discovery of antibiotics, the creation of vaccines, and the introduction of sanitation measures. I have a greater appreciation for the importance of these developments. I will keep pushing for their wider adoption in modern healthcare practices because of my familiarity with their historical setting.
I may better understand the social, economic, and political factors that have influenced health outcomes throughout the course of human history by studying the history of Public Health. For example, I can determine the underlying systemic causes of past public health disasters like the Spanish flu, cholera epidemics, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic by researching these events. With this knowledge in hand, I am better equipped to investigate the reasons of existing health inequalities and to advocate for policies and programmes that will help to achieve health equality and justice.
I also get a wider understanding of the possibilities and challenges that lie ahead by studying the history of public health. Case studies from the past may help us learn from the past and prepare for future crises by revealing patterns and recurrent themes. For instance, understanding the value of early detection, open communication, and community participation may help with the response to the COVID-19 epidemic. I can make an important contribution to developing public health procedures, policies, and interventions by drawing on lessons from the past.
The knowledge I have gathered from the past will greatly impact how I practise professionally going the future. Understanding the long-term benefits of focusing on prevention, community involvement, and multidisciplinary cooperation, I want to do my job with a renewed appreciation for their role in enhancing population health. I will make it a priority to factor in historical context wherever possible so that my choices always take into account the lessons of the past. To better manage my profession's complex difficulties and improve the well-being of people and communities, I will reflect on past mistakes and accomplishments.
Discussion of Non-Health Factors That are Part of PH Practice
My understanding of the importance for university assignment help of non-health factors in public health practice and their crucial role in determining health outcomes has grown over time. I have learned how factors outside healthcare providers' purview influence health by delving into public health. The necessity of addressing non-health factors for successful interventions and better population health has been brought to light by this reflection, which has deepened my knowledge of public health practice.
Recognising the significance of non-health factors in public health requires an appreciation for the role that the social determinants of health play. The health results are significantly influenced by socioeconomic position, education, employment, housing, and availability of healthy food. These factors affect health behaviour change, healthcare access, and system navigation. Public health practitioners may eliminate health inequalities and advance social justice by identifying and addressing the underlying non-health factors. As a nurse, knowing the influence of socioeconomic determinants on patient health outcomes is a practical implication of realising the significance of non-health elements in public health practice. With this knowledge in hand, I will be better able to advocate for resources and treatments that target non-health issues including a patient's socioeconomic position, level of education, and housing situation in order to enhance their health and well-being.
The health of a population may be improved in a more complete and holistic manner when non-health factors are considered in public health practice. Beyond medical settings, public health also includes larger socioeconomic challenges. Public health practitioners may establish solutions that address the root causes of ill health by recognising the impact of factors like poverty, racism, discrimination, and environmental circumstances. This realisation motivates us to work with partners in the housing, education, transportation, and urban planning sectors to adopt policies and initiatives that improve health in all facets of society.
The social determinants of health may also be addressed by including non-health factors in public health practice. To better comprehend communities' difficulties, it is important to acknowledge the many factors—economic, environmental, and social—that impact people's health. This realisation has helped me take a more holistic view of the factors contributing to health problems and their corresponding solutions. It inspires me to participate in community-based participatory research and include community members in decision-making processes to guarantee that interventions are respectful of diverse communities and meet their needs.
Recognising non-health factors in public health practice will strongly influence my future professional strategy. I want to aggressively pursue opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration and policy advocacy to address the socioeconomic determinants of health. Aiming for a more all-encompassing and integrative strategy, I will work to include non-health factors in the design, rollout, and assessment of public health initiatives. I may make more strides towards achieving my goal of improving the health of the population as a whole by focusing on the larger factors that impact health outcomes.
Public health practice must prioritise the recognition of non-health factors. To make real and long-lasting gains in population health, it is necessary to comprehend the social determinants of health, tackle societal concerns, and take a holistic approach to solutions. Public health practitioners may advance health equality, reduce health inequalities, and create treatments that go to the heart of the problems that lead to poor health by considering non-health factors.
Ethical Issues Associated with Public Health Practice
It has been an eye-opening experience for me to delve into the moral quandaries that occur while working to improve the health of communities via a focus on public policy and practice. The importance of ethical issues in public health and their significant influence on policy and the provision of health care services has become clear to me as a result of my reflection. This newfound awareness has encouraged me to reflect on the ethical difficulties public health practitioners encounter and their practical effects on practice.
Balancing individual rights with greater benefits is a major ethical challenge in public health practice. Restricting individual liberties for the greater good of the population is a common component of public health interventions. For example, even if forced vaccination regulations aim to safeguard public health, they may be regarded as an infringement on individual liberty. Maintaining a fair equilibrium between individual and community health is a perpetual issue that calls for thoughtful ethical discourse and the exploration of different approaches that consider the rights of persons.
Distribution of resources and fairness can raise ethical concerns in public health practice. Because of resource constraints, healthcare delivery and treatments must be prioritised according to patient needs and expected outcomes. However, concerns about justice and equality may arise when allocating resources. Allocating limited medical resources during a pandemic, for example, may be morally complex because of the necessity to balance various groups' demands and prioritise those who stand to gain the most. This emphasises the significance of openness, diversity, and stakeholder participation in resource allocation choices for achieving equity and reducing prejudice.
Furthermore, ethical difficulties emerge in the collection, use, and exchange of health data in public health practice. It's a continuous challenge to balance the necessity for data-driven decision-making and people's right to privacy and confidentiality. For example, individuals' privacy and data security must be respected while using personal health information for disease monitoring or contact tracing. Maintaining public confidence and upholding ethical standards requires actively pursuing openness, informed consent, and strong data governance processes.
Effective, egalitarian, and morally acceptable public health treatments depend on solving these moral conundrums, which have real-world repercussions for practice. Public health practitioners must use ethical reasoning skills, consult with a wide range of interested parties, and always operate in accordance with established standards. Ethical education and training must be ongoing for practitioners to improve their ability to make morally sound choices.
In the future, I shall always consider the ethical concerns in public health practice and include them in my judgements. Considering the possible effects of interventions on people and communities, I will work to uphold the values of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice in my practice. I seek ethical discourse and advice when confronted with a difficult moral conundrum. Adopting an ethical framework in my public health practice will allow me to traverse these obstacles responsibly and contribute to the ethical development of the profession.
Considerations for Future Practice
How I see my future practice as a health care practitioner has been significantly impacted by the information and insights I have learned during this unit. Health equality, community involvement, and multidisciplinary cooperation are the problems that are of the utmost importance to me. Recognising the relevance of these factors and their relationship to the unit's learning has inspired me to work towards improved health outcomes and social advocacy in my future practice.
First and foremost, health fairness has become more important to me as I learn more about the healthcare system. I now see the need to address the health gap between privileged and disadvantaged groups. Going ahead, I will continue to fight for universal healthcare access, the end of health inequalities, and action on the root causes of preventable illness: the socioeconomic determinants of health. This would include actively searching out chances to engage in underprivileged areas, supporting projects promoting health equality, and learning about and solving the specific problems experienced by various groups.
Community involvement has also emerged as an important factor in establishing successful public health measures. Understanding the value of communities' knowledge and insights about their health needs has helped me see the value of including them in decision-making. In my future practice, I will actively seek opportunities to interact with communities, hear their worries and viewpoints, and co-design treatments that are respectful of diversity, accessible to everyone, and long-lasting. Through building bridges of trust among neighbours, I want to encourage people to take charge of their health and their communities.
Also, multidisciplinary teams are considered essential to solving complicated health problems. I will aggressively seek opportunities to interact with professionals from varied backgrounds, including social workers, politicians, educators, and environmental scientists since I know no profession or sector can handle public health concerns alone. We can tackle difficult health problems holistically and efficiently if we pool our knowledge, experiences, and resources.
My future values, choices, and actions will be influenced by what I've learnt in this unit, which will shape my practice. Instead of concentrating exclusively on treating symptoms, I will be more alert to the social determinants of health and work to eliminate the underlying factors contributing to health inequalities. I will seek ways to include the community in healthcare planning and decision-making, and I will work to ensure that people's perspectives and experiences are considered. I will also seek out cross-disciplinary opportunities for cooperation and commit to a lifelong learning programme to broaden my perspective and skill set. By putting these ideas into practice, I intend to affect people's health positively, promote social justice, and aid in developing stronger communities.
Conclusion
The information and understanding I obtained from this unit will significantly impact my future practice as a health care practitioner. To better navigate complex issues, promote health equity, engage communities, and collaborate across disciplines, I have gained a deeper understanding of the history of public health, the ethical challenges faced in public health practice, and the importance of addressing non-health factors. By putting these ideas into practice, I will be better able to help others, promote good change, and improve my community.
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