What is population health? Study by UNE鈥檚 Ron Deprez provides answers

Ron Deprez

Population health is one of the latest buzzwords in health care, with many in the field eager to implement it. But 51品茶 Associate Research Professor Ron Deprez, Ph.D., M.P.H., found that there is no widely accepted definition for the term. In a study published by Maine Policy Review, Deprez provides clarification.

The study, titled, 鈥淧opulation Health Improvement: It鈥檚 Up to the Community鈥擭ot the Healthcare System,鈥 was co-authored by Rick Thomas, Ph.D., associate professor of preventative medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. It seeks to clarify the attributes of population, review the reasons the concept is not well understood and suggest reasons that the health care system is incapable of implementing a population health approach. The paper further argues for the role of the community in promoting population health as an alternative to leadership by health professionals.

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