Preventive Medicine in Humanitarian Emergencies
2. Introduction
Module Contributors
Douglas A. Lougee, MD, MPH
Sathyanarayanan Doraiswamy
Dr. Ángela Gentile
Why is Preventive Medicine and Public Health Important after a Disaster?
In a post-disaster scenario, health workers are faced with many challenges. For example, they may be concerned for the safety and well-being of their own families as well as the health and well-being of their patients. Most will have an innate desire to help their community. Depending on the specific scenario, pediatricians may have to use skills that are beyond those of everyday practice, such as trauma care in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake. However, in any disaster situation, preventive medicine and public health techniques are likely to be most useful aspects for overall community recovery.
At its core, preventive medicine focuses on the use of population health data and public health strategies to improve the health of an entire community. After a disaster, the day-to-day public health infrastructure is suddenly disrupted. Much like the autonomic nervous system, which maintains bodily functions without conscious effort, this infrastructure works day and night to maintain community health without being appreciated. Following a sudden disruption of the public health services, the community faces potentially catastrophic consequences of not knowing where to go to seek preventive and treatment services. The collapse of public health systems puts communities at high risk of communicable diseases which are associated with high morbidity and mortality.
In these situations, reestablishing the public health infrastructure should have a higher priority than caring for individual patients.