Getting acquainted with the term and concept of public health. Acquiring knowledge on health determinants, health standards and evaluation of health care conditions. Acquiring knowledge on health protection and the organisation of the Croatian public health system. Getting acquainted with prerequisites for conduction of public health activities and possible public health interventions. Getting acquainted with the global context of public health and the role of leading global public health organisations and how they operate. Acquiring knowledge on Croatian public health priorities, some new global public health challenges, national public health programmes and national strategies and plans.
Term and concept of public health. Definition and goal of public health. Development of public health through history. Modern or new public health. Health and health standards. Health terminology and its determinants. Evaluation of health care condition. Reasons for evaluation of health care condition. Indicators of health care condition and data sources. Evaluation procedure and priority ranking. World health survey. Croatian health survey. Registers. Health protection. Principles, goals and levels of health protection. Measures of health protection. Health care facilities in Croatia. Health workers in Croatia. Public health in the health protection system. Organisation of public health in Croatia. Prerequisites for conduction of public health activities. Planning. Economic aspects of how the public health system operates. Development and education of human resources in the field of public health. Establishing and developing partnerships in solving public health problems - cooperation among sectors. Public health interventions. Health promotions. Disease prevention - primary, secondary, tertiary. Global context of public health. Health as global public asset. Global health - definition, importance and significance. Globalisation. Mutual influence of globalisation and health. Globalisation and other primary non-health aspects of life. Role and of leading global public health organisations and how they operate. National public health programmes. National strategies and plans. Croatian public health priorities. New global public health challenges.
Required course materials:
1. Puntarić D, Ropac D, Jurčev Savičević A. i sur. Javno zdravstvo. Medicinska naklada: Zagreb, 2015.
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Interpret the way the health care system functions and the role of public health in society;
- Present the structure of public health in the Republic of Croatia and the peculiarities of public health interventions;
- Apply population health indicators, or carry out the procedure of assessing the health status of the population and ranking priorities;
- Clarify the global context of public health;
- Present the role and functioning of the world's leading public health organizations, national public health programs and national strategies and plans;
- Self-assess and organize preventive measures for the preservation and promotion of oral health;
- Critically assess the relationship between the patient's oral and systemic health status and predict the consequences of the social and physical environment on the patient's oral health;
- Critically evaluate and argue scientific methods and results.
