CRITERIA OF A

PUBLIC HEALTH
PROBLEM
Dr Amir Akbar Shaikh
Asst.Prof and Head of the dept
Community Dentistry
WHAT IS A PUBLIC HEALTH
PROBLEM?
PREVALENCE OF THE
CONDITION
 Who has the disease?
 Percentage of population effected?
 Distribution of the disease
 Prevalence of the condition increasing or
decreasing
IMPACT OF CONDITION ON AN
INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
 Severity of the disease
Do people die
Do they suffer pain
Discomfort
Loss of function
Can they perform there routine work normally
IMPACT ON WIDER SOCIETY
 Cost to the health services of treating the
condition
 Effect of condition on the economy and
productivity of the state
CONDITION IS PREVENTABLE AND
EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS ARE AVAILABLE
 To understand the cause of disease
 Early detection of disease
 Intervention present to prevent the disease
STAGES OF CLINICAL AND
PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE
 Examination  Assessment of Need

Individual clinical practice Public health practice

STAGES OF CLINICAL AND
PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE
 Diagnosis  Analysis of data

Individual clinical practice Public health practice

STAGES OF CLINICAL AND
PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE
 Treatment planning  Programme planning
STAGES OF CLINICAL AND
PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE
 Informed Consent for  Ethics and planning
treatment approval
STAGES OF CLINICAL AND
PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE
 An appropriate mix of  Programme
care, cure and implementation
prevention
STAGES OF CLINICAL AND
PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE
 Payment for services  Types of finances
STAGES OF CLINICAL AND
PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE
 Evaluation  Appraisal and review