Health Care : Current Reviews

Public Health and its Quality of Care in Health System

Shelia Janet^* Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
^*Correspondence: Shelia Janet, Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Email:

Received: 02-Jan-2023, Manuscript No. HCCR-23-20741; Editor assigned: 05-Jan-2023, Pre QC No. HCCR-23-20741(PQ); Reviewed: 20-Jan-2023, QC No. HCCR-23-20741; Revised: 26-Jan-2023, Manuscript No. HCCR-23-20741(R); Published: 03-Feb-2023, DOI: 10.35248/2375-4273.23.11.337

Description

Health care refers to the maintenance or improvement of illness, injury and other physical and mental impairments. It is a vital aspect of society that ensures the health and well-being of individuals, communities and nations. The provision of health care services involves a complex network of institutions, professionals and systems that work together to promote health and manage disease. These include hospitals, clinics, medical laboratories, pharmacies, public health agencies and health insurance providers among others. Health care systems vary across different countries and regions reflecting differences in economic, social and cultural factors. However there are some common features that characterize most health care systems including access to basic health care services, quality of care, efficiency affordability, and equity. Access to basic health care services is a fundamental right that is enshrined in various international declarations such as the Universal declaration of Human Rights and the World Health Organization's Alma Ata Declaration. It involves ensuring that individuals and communities have timely and affordable access to preventive and curative health services, including immunizations, prenatal care, primary care, and emergency services.

Quality of care refers to the degree to which health care services meet the needs and expectations of patients and their families. It involves ensuring that health care professionals have the necessary knowledge skills and resources to provide evidencebased care that is safe effective and patient-centered. Quality of care also involves promoting transparency, accountability and continuous improvement in the delivery of health care services. Efficiency refers to the ability of health care systems to provide high-quality. It involves maximizing the use of available resources, such as human resources, medical supplies, and technology, to achieve the best possible health outcomes. Efficiency also involves minimizing waste, duplication of services and unnecessary hospitalizations or procedures. Affordability refers to the ability of individuals and communities to access health care services without facing financial hardship expenditures. It involves ensuring that health care services are priced reasonably and that there are mechanisms in place to protect vulnerable populations such as the poor the elderly and those with chronic diseases from high out-of-pocket costs. Equity refers to the fair distribution of health care services across different segments of society regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender or other factors. It involves ensuring that individuals and communities have equal access to health care services and that there are no barriers to care based on discrimination or prejudice. Health care systems face various challenges in delivering high-quality affordable and equitable care to their populations.

Some of these challenges include rising health care costs shortages of health care professionals fragmentation of services and disparities in access to care. Rising health care costs are a major challenge for health care systems around the world. The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer has led to a surge in demand for health care services, particularly in high-income countries. At the same time advances in medical technology and treatments have led to higher costs for drugs, medical devices and procedures making health care more expensive for patients. Shortages of health care professionals particularly in rural and underserved areas are another challenge facing many health care systems. The demand for health care services is growing faster than the supply of trained health care workers leading to a shortage of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals. This shortage can lead to longer wait times for appointments, reduced access to specialized care and increased workload for existing staff. Fragmentation of services is another challenge that can lead to inefficiencies and reduced quality of care.