Public health
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There is growing recognition of the impact of the wider determinants of health and health inequalities, and an acknowledgement that addressing these root causes of ill health requires public health to be everyone's business and responsibility. Therefore, equipping the whole of the public health workforce and a wide range of other disciplines with the knowledge and skills to have a positive influence on health is a priority. The UK is implementing a competence-based skills framework that addresses this dual need. The aim of this paper is to describe how the UK Public Health Skills and Career Framework was developed, and to invite discussion on its potential usefulness as a tool for facilitating a shared approach to strengthening public health competence within and across countries.
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Biography Historical Article
Prevention is better than cure: the work of the early Nottingham Medical Officers of Health, 1873-1929.
In the past few years, a considerable amount of work has been undertaken to examine the work of the early Medical Officers of Health (MOsH), but this has been more of a general overview of their work rather than looking at the work of individuals. It is a great omission that the first three MOsH for Nottingham have been neglected; little is recorded in the literature about these three men who were at the vanguard of public health in the city. This article aims to examine a small part of their work: the environment; the spread of disease; and the use of isolation in controlling disease and vaccination. This is only a small window on the work of these men, but it goes some way to rectify the previous lack of information.
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Comparative Study
Factors associated with hospital mortality in traumatic injuries: incentive for trauma care integration.
The main aim of this study was to contrast the variation in mortality between trauma centres (TCs) and non-trauma hospitals (NTHs) in Texas, and among TCs by sociodemographic and economic factors of trauma cases. ⋯ In the absence of validated data about severity of cases and type of injury, and details about the treatment provided to trauma cases in this study, more investigation is needed into the case-mix of trauma patients admitted to TCs and NTHs. Further exploration is necessary for better co-ordination of the emergency care response to integrate NTHs within the trauma system and alleviate the stress placed on Level I TCs. Revisiting the transfer algorithms could improve clinical outcomes, particularly when TCs are closed due to diversion protocols.