a whole-of-society approach to health and well-being centered on the needs and preferences of individuals, families and communities
addresses the broader determinants of health and focuses on the comprehensive and interrelated aspects of physical, mental and social health and wellbeing
Recognizes that health outcomes are influenced by a wide range of factors beyond just health care services that should be addressed
Primary Health Care:
provides whole-person care for health needs throughout the lifespan
Rooted in a commitment to social justice and equity and in the recognition of the fundamental right to the highest attainable standard of health
Everyone has access to essential health services & resources without discrimination^^^
3 components of Primary Health Care:
Multisectoral Policy & Action
Integrated Health Services
Empowered People & Communities
enables health systems to support a person’s health needs –from health promotion to disease prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, palliative care and more.
Elements of PHC
All these basic requirements are incorporated in the SDGs for 2030 from goal 2 to goal 4
E: ensure safe water supply
L: locally endemic disease control
E: education/expanded programs on immunization
M: maternal and child health
E: environmental sanitation
N: nutritional services
T: treatment of minor ailments
S: school health services
PHC Strategies
preventive
curative
promotive
rehabilitative
palliative
Preventive strategy
aims to maintain and improve health by keeping people from falling ill in the first place, diagnosing illnesses earlier, and preventing further morbidity
Curative strategy
Aims to restore and maintain health by treating people when they do fall ill
Promotive strategy
Aims to create living conditions that are conducive to good health. These include educational, organizational, economic, and environmental support systems
Rehabilitative strategy
Aims to optimize functioning and reduce disability in individuals with health conditions, including impairments, limitations, and restriction
Palliative strategy
Aims to bring comfort and relief to patients from serious, progressive illnesses to maintain quality of life and reduce suffering and deterioration
Promotive strategy
Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health
Aim: to get individuals to positively influence their own and others' health
4 common approaches of Promotive strategy
health education
environmental modifications
nutritional interventins
lifestyle and behavioral changes
Health education (promotive strategy)
One of the potent methodologies for information dissemination.
It promotes the partnership of both the family members and health workers in the promotion of health as well as prevention of illness
Environmental modifications (promotive strategy)
any deliberate or inadvertent change to any component of the environment by human action, intended or not, that has an impacton health, both positive or negative.
These changes include: physical, chemical & biological factors ofthe environment
Environmental modifications (promotive strategy)
Pre-requisites for good health
health-supportive cities and built environments
clean air
adequate water
sanitation and hygiene
healthy and safe workplaces
sound agricultural practices
stable climate
Environmental modifications (promotive strategy)
It includes initiatives such as:
Creating safe walking & biking paths
Reducing Air & Water Pollution (Implementing Smoke-FreePolicies, installation of Sanitary latrines, etc.)
Improving Access to healthy foods in communities
Provision of Safe Water
Improvement of housing
Control of Insects & Rodent
Nutritional intervention (promotive strategy)
Nutrition is a foundation for health and well-being for all, leaving no one behind, and a key element of primary health care, and plays an essential role in prevention.
Nutritional intervention (promotive strategy)
Nutritional Intervention aims to:
Improve nutritional status and address malnutrition-related issues at the community level to promote better health outcomes.
Activities:
Promoting breastfeeding
Providing Nutrition Education to individuals & Families
Offering Counselling on Healthy eating habits
Ensuring Access to nutritious food
Food fortification
Lifestyle and behavioral change (promotive strategy)
These are modifications that individuals make in their daily habits and actions to promote health & prevent diseases.
Lifestyle & behavioral changes play a very crucial role in reducing the risk for chronic diseases such as: Heart disease, Diabetes, Certain types of cancer
As well as improving over-all well-being & longevity
Lifestyle and behavioral change (promotive strategy)
Health promoting behaviors
avoiding harmful substances
maintaining physical activity levels
having good nutrition
managing stress
getting sufficient sleep
Preventive strategy
consist of actions which aimed at eradicating, eliminating, or minimizing the impact of disease and disability
description: Targets a susceptible population or individual, institutes activities that help avoid the onset of a disease, injury, or health condition before it occurs
aim: Promoting health & well-being, Preventing the initial development of a disease, Addressing Modifiable Factors such as unhealthy behaviors, environmental exposures
measures: health Education & Promotion to encourage healthy behaviors, Immunization, Environmental Modifications, Policy & legislation initiatives to promote public health
Secondary prevention (preventive strategy)
description: Targets identification of the “individuals with pathological conditions” or in the early stadiums of disease but is not yet symptomatic or clinically apparent
aim: identify individuals with the disease at an early stage when treatment can be more effective to: Reduce severity of the condition, Prevent complication, Improve health Outcomes
Secondary prevention (preventive strategy)
measures: conduct of screening tests or examinations (mammography for Breast CA), Encouraging to seek medical attention for early detection & diagnosis, Monitoring individuals with certain risk factors through regular check-ups, lab. Tests, or imaging studies
Tertiary prevention (preventive strategy)
description: Symptomatic individuals who have already been diagnosed with a disease or health conditions, Attempts to prevent, diminish & eliminate the diseases and injuries’ consequence
aims: Prevent effects of disease: complications, disability & death, Improve the quality of life for individuals living with thecondition
Tertiary prevention (preventive strategy)
measures: providing rehabilitation services like physical therapy and speech therapy to restore function, Providing Chronic Disease Management measures like medications, lifestyle modifications & regular check-ups, Conduct of Health Education to patient & family
primary prevention
definition: an intervention implemented before there is evidence of a disease or injury
intent: reduce or eliminate causative risk factors (risk reduction)
example: encourage exercise and healthy eating to prevent individuals from becoming overweight
secondary prevention
definition: an intervention implemented after a disease has begun but before it is symptomatic
intent: early identification (through screening) and treatment
example: check body mass index (BMI) at every well checkup to identify individuals who are overweight or obese
tertiary prevention
definition: an intervention implement after a disease or injury is established
intent: prevent sequelae (stop bad things from getting worse)
example: help obese individuals lose weight to prevent progression to more serve consequences
Curative Strategy
aims to diagnose, treat (alleviate) and cure diseases
cause reversal of the natural history of disorder
restore individual's health to optimal state
examples: medications, surgery, medical procedures
Rehabilitative strategy
After an individual has experienced anatomical & physiological changes, Rehabilitative interventions are provided to
prevent or minimize disability
prevent further deterioration
facilitate the individual's ability to adapt to their condition
achieve optimal functioning despite anatomical and physiological changes
Examples: physical rehabilitation, emotional and psychological support, cognitive rehabilitation
Palliative strategy
Given to individuals where the disease despite the conveyed treatment & rehabilitation, has left permanent consequences such as: Invalidity, Work disability, Dependence on other people’s care, End-of-life Stage diseases
Does not directly aim to cure the patient
aims: alleviate suffering, Enhance comfort, Promote dignity for the patient and their families in the moment