Answer 2 for NURS 8310 WEEK 1 BLOG POPULATION HEALTH AND EPIDEMIOLOGY THEN AND NO
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I thought your blog on epidemiology and population health was great. I would like to expand on some of the topics you discussed and add to them. The role of nurses in early population health initiatives in the 1800’s and early 1900’s played a critical role in developing population health concepts (Gallagher, 2020). At the time nursing was focused on individual patient care. However, a few pioneering nurses recognized the need for broader public health interventions to prevent disease and improve health outcomes at the population level. Florence Nightingale, who is often considered the founder of modern nursing recognized the importance of hygiene and sanitation in preventing disease transmission and she used data and statistics to advocate for improvements in public health.
Population health is a multidisciplinary field that tries to improve the health and well-being of entire populations. Over time, the practice and scope of population health have evolved in response to changes in society, technology, and health systems (CDC, 2020). One of the important drivers of this evolution has been epidemiology, which is the study of distribution and determinants of health and disease in populations (Friis & Sellars, 2020). Epidemiological research has helped identify the causes and risk factors of various health conditions, which has informed public policies and interventions (Friis & Sellars, 2020). In recent years, population health has expanded to include a greater focus on social determinants of health, such as income, education, and social support networks (Morley et al., 2020). This broader approach acknowledges the complex interplay between individual behaviors, environmental factors, and social structures in shaping health outcomes. Furthermore, population health practice has become increasingly data driven, with the use of electronic health records, population health management tools and advanced analytics (Morley et al., 2020). This has enabled health care providers and public health agencies to understand population health trends better, identify high risk groups, and develop targeted interventions to improve health outcomes.
References
CDC (2020). What is population health? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
