Planning Better Health for The Future
Population health is gaining a strong focus because planning for care public care demands holistic visualization of the needs of the different groups to determine the expected outcome. Even though complexity surrounds the use of the term, the collective visualization of population needs in terms of care outcomes, disparities, determinants, and risk factors has become popular. Professionals in the care industry are steering the process following the realization that demographic factors and infrastructural issues affect case access and choice of interventional tactics.
As noted, the focus on population health enables medics to leverage the existing resources in the improvement of the health of the population. An example of a beneficial outcome of focusing in the future is the ability to intertwines policies and determinants of outcomes of care to sustain the needs of the masses by dealing with risk factors.
When advancing population health, the recognition of the disparity factors in population is necessary for the realization of the desired outcome in care delivery. If the medics lack the information, the process of quantifying the role of the determining factors becomes difficult. On the contrary, in an instance where the planners focus on population health by using the real data on the population, healthcare provision progresses as planned. Consequently, the focus on population health encourages adaptation of a preventive approach that ensures holistic administration of care. Kindig (2007) notes that medics will deal with the disease using the interventional approach that focuses on behaviour, genetics, environment, and infrastructure, among many other determinants that define the wellness of a population.
The realization of the goal of expanding population health to improve the health of the population demands documentation of information about the target population. The data includes race, gender, age, among other demographic factors for future use. The process can commence with the digitization of the records to ensure that stakeholders’ steering care programs have the data needed to address care issues at the primary level. During the documentation, the participation of the medics with the target population is necessary for guiding the identification of the care needs of the population before the allocation of the resources. Afterward, the planning ensures accuracy in budgeting and distribution of care resources in accordance with the population needs.
The authorities assigned the duty of focusing on population health have struggled in the past due to stringent policies governing the practices. Subsequently, the lack of resources for steering the process and the incompetence of the personnel leading the process also hindered the practice. The historical practices characterized by standardization of administration of care also posed challenges to advancing population health initiatives. The situation made it difficult for professionals promoting consumer cantered care in different settings where variant determinant affects the outcome of care (Wanless, 2004). In the past, it was equally difficult harmonizing the needs of the population with the expectation of the groups. The planners, on numerous occasions, had been presuming the needs of the targeted population leading to complexity in administration of care. The technologies of the past were also a source of hindrance to population planning as a strategy for care administration. The complexity in using the resources in improving access to care posed challenge to medication.
The ability to integrate technology in every sphere of delivery present the opportunity for advancing population health programs. Unlike the case decades ago, existing innovation present the opportunity to simulate scenarios that allowing detection of risks to population based on demographics, among many other variables. Subsequently, the medics can plan using accurate figures rather than relying on assumptions and guesswork. The connectivity of the globe equally allows research and exchange of information on ways for planning for the needs of the population. Kindig & Stoddart (2003) cites family planning initiatives as some of the advances that present the opportunity to meet the needs of the population in line with the set mission of formulating population health programs.
Patients activation is critical in care advance because the practice is changing the role of the medic from the traditional duty of dictating care. The patient is accorded the role of influencing the decision by engaging a medic as a consultant, then using the tools in treatment. According to Kindig & Stoddart (2003), the professionals are becoming more involved in the care of the population as third parties and not the ultimate decisionmaker as the case in the past. This is because the model encourages the patients to define the goal of care. In most cases, the medics capitalize on the existing knowledge of the sick. The approach reduces the burden to care professionals serving as consultants. The activation also reduces the backlog in care facilities lacking the required infrastructure for easing access to treatment. The practice of activation allows medics to envisage the needs of the patients using existing information, then located special facilities for soliciting information.
The activation model is going to revolutionize the approach to care to allow collaborative decision-making. The method will be critical in the future because it will ensure care delivery to diverse population in an integrated globe. According to Kindig & Stoddart (2003), the accuracy of care will improve since the automated systems encourage objective reflection in addressing concerns affecting patients. The medics will identify the knowledge gaps in dealing with issues affecting the population. The act, in turn, will alleviate cases of ignorance in decision making.
The one goal for redressing the care shortage challenges is creating an app that allows individuals to track their wellness and formulate suggestions on suitable ways for ensuring high standards of health. The tool will be akin to patient activation tools. However, the platform will allow medics to guide the population on ways of resolving care issues using preventive tactics. Such resources could have been helpful in the current times where the care facilities are strained by the spread of COVID-19.
The vision in creating the app is allowing individuals to source information regarding their wellness in real-time. The application will possess the ability to consult the users and disseminate information on the accessibility of care facility in the event that one experiences a difficulty that demands urgent medical attention. The mission in creating the application that runs on different technological devices is enabling the population to shift their perception towards care needs (Wanless, 2004). The app will disseminate information using simplified language that encourages the young to consider joining care profession as a medic.
I plan to run programs that intertwine care needs to other aspects of life, such as the inclusion of video clips outlining procedures for dealing with different types of ailments. The overriding theme will be on daily healthcare issues such as the need to wash hands, eat a balanced diet, and exercise (Wanless, 2004). The mode of communication will address the daily undertakings as the routine practices in the care profession. I will share messages that ease the contextualization of the undertakings in the care profession.
Another way for motivating the young to consider joining a profession in healthcare entails setting up scholarship funds for the student interested in the profession. Collaboration with the state is necessary for the realization of the mission of increasing enrolment. Before the initiative, I would lobby for the recognition of traditional practices in care as a model for integration in the advanced techniques. The emphasis on consumer-based approach to care while highlighting people’s life as a continuation in advancing care practices is critical for the realization of the set agenda of formulating the care programs.
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References
Kindig, D. A. (2007). Understanding population health terminology. The Milbank Quarterly, 85(1), 139-161.
Kindig, D., & Stoddart, G. (2003). What is population health?. American journal of public health, 93(3), 380-383.
Wanless, D. (2004). Securing good health for the whole population. London: HM Stationery Office.