Health and Wellbeing

• WHO Definition of Health and Wellbeing

  A state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
• Health and Wellbeing Definition

  Health and Wellbeing is the state of a person's physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual existence and is characterised by an equilibrium in which the individual feels happy, healthy, capable, and engaged.
• Dimensions of Health


  Physical, Mental, Emotional, Social, Spiritual
• Physical Health and Wellbeing


  Function of the body and its systems; physical capacity to perform daily activities.
• Mental Health and Wellbeing


  Relates to someone's mind/brain and the ability to think and process information.
• Emotional Health and Wellbeing


  A person's ability to recognise and respond to their own or the emotion's of others.
• Social Health and Wellbeing


  Ability to make meaningful relationships with other's and adapt appropriately to different social situations.
• Spiritual Health and Wellbeing


  Ideas, beliefs, values and ethics that come in the human mind.
• Dynamic Health and Wellbeing


  Levels of Health are constantly changing.
• Interrelationship of Health and Wellbeing


  If one dimension of health and wellbeing is low/high, it can impact other dimensions.
• Health Status

  Level of health experienced by an individual or population.
• Key Indicators

  Data/Statistics that is used to assess the level of health and wellbeing of individuals/populations.
• Key Indicators Examples

  • Mortality Rates
  • Morbidity Rates
  • Life expectancy
• Why Do We Need To Measure Health Status? (Level of Health)

  1. To identify health conditions affecting the population
• How is Health Status Measured?

  • Health promotion (education): preventing the disease from occurring.
  • Treatment: medication, specialists, screening machines
  • Research: More money into better treatments and possible cures for disease
• Life Expectancy


  The number of years, on average, remaining to an individual at a specific age, if death rates don't change. Usually calculated at birth.
• Morbidity

  Ill health in an individual and levels of ill health in a population
• Mortality


  The number of deaths in a population in a given period.
• Self Assessed Health Status

  Based on a person's own perception of their health and wellbeing rating of excellent/very good/good/fair/poor.
• Four Components of Australia's Health System

  1. Health promotion: prevention of ill health
  2. Primary Health Care: doctors, nurses, allied health
  3. Specialist Services: surgeons, ear-nose-throat specialist
  4. Hospitals: public and private
• Australia's Health Care System

  There are three components

  1. Medicare
  2. Private Health Insurance
  3. Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme
• Medicare

  • Medicare is Australia's universal health care scheme
  • Aim to provide affordable and high quality healthcare for all Australians
  • Objective is to improve health outcomes for the nation
  • Financed by the federal government at 2% of taxable income
  • All Australian residents and eligible visitors can own a medicare card
• Medicare Covers

  • GPs that bulk bill
  • Public hospitals
  • Tests and examination
  • Lower costs prescriptions
• Medicare Doesn't Cover

  • Dental
  • Ambulance services
  • Allied health specialists
  • Private patient hospital costs
• Private Health Insurance

  • People pay a premium to the health insurance company
  • They get choice of doctor in public and private hospitals
  • No waiting period for elective surgery and non-urgent surgical procedures
  • Choice of shared or private room in hospitals
  • Extra cover for part reimbursement of fees for dentistry, chiropractic, physiotherapy, optometry, osteotherapy, home nursing and podaitry
• Is Ambulance Service Covered by Medicare, Private Health Insurance or Both? If not, What Can It Be Covered By?

  Ambulance Service is not covered by Medicare or Private Health Insurance. If somebody wants ambulance service coverage, they will need to get membership separately through the relevant state ambulance's website.
• General State of Health in Australia

  Australia generally maintains a high standard of health compared to the rest of world though there are some health issues that Australia faces such as obesity and mental health challenges.
• Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS)

  • Government subsidises the cost of medicine for most medical conditions
  • Available to all Australian residents who hold a current Medicare Card
• How Many Medications are on the PBS

  906 medications