World Health Organization, International Association of National Public Health Institutes. (2024) Application of the essential public health functions: an integrated and comprehensive approach to public health. Geneva: World Health Organization.
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Essential public health functions (EPHFs - The set of fundamental, interdependent activities, both within and beyond the health sector, that are required to ensure comprehensive delivery of public health) have been recognized as a core component of the primary health care approach and are central to an integrated, comprehensive, sustainable and cost-effective approach to enhancing individual and population health and reducing the burden of disease, as articulated in the Declaration of Astana on Primary Health Care and in various World Health Assembly and regional committee resolutions. However, their application to meeting population health needs has remained obscure. This document presents a technical reference package to support comprehensive operationalization of public health using the EPHFs and describes a step-by-step approach to their application, including a number of case examples. The executive summary provides a high-level overview of the document, including the key technical references and the steps in applying them in a national context. In addition, each part of the document is prefaced by a high-level overview. The main body of the package consists of five linked thematic parts, but users can focus on the part or parts that are most relevant to their aims.
- Part I provides an introduction and overview of the EPHFs and their application, including the document’s objectives and target audience.
- Part II contains the technical resources that support application of the EPHFs, including the approach applied to unpacking the 12 EPHFs and repackaging them into an essential package of public health services and system enablers. Countries can refer to and contextualize the references presented in Part II to support the comprehensive integration of public health services within health systems and allied sectors, based on population health needs.
- Part III focuses on the application of the EPHFs, including a step-by-step guide to a rapid review of the baseline capacities for the delivery of the EPHFs in a national context. This is complemented by examples of application across the broad categories of strengthening institutional structures for the delivery of EPHFs, defining packages of health services in a national context, strengthening the promotive, protective and preventive capacities of health and allied sectors, and strengthening the workforce for delivering the EPHFs.
- Part IV consists of a concluding chapter, calling for key commitment and actions from Member States in strengthening EPHFs, alongside the partners of the World Health Organization and the International Association of National Public Health Institutes.
- Part V consisting of annexes that provide more details on methodology.
- Annex 1 describes the detailed unpacking of each of the 12 EPHFs into services and system enablers. Annexes 2, 3 and 4 describe the methods used in the unpacking exercise and development of this document.
Example. P.62 Public health services - Development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of actions, programs and interventions that support early identification and appropriate management of health risks to minimize their impact based on population need and equity (secondary prevention) -
• Development of national cancer control program
• Development of national newborn bloodspot screening program
• Identification of priority screening programs based on population risks
• Screening for disease and physical, environmental, behavioral and social risk factors
• Opportunistic screening, including routine physical examinations and screening for intimate partner violence, elder or child abuse, Making Every Contact Count program
• Screening for self-harm and suicide risk in people with mental, neurological and substance use conditions
• Periodic review of disease prevention policies and programs
• Substance-related harm reduction programs
• Homeless health and social services
• Noncommunicable disease prevention and control programs
G Health and disease > Public health
J Health care, prevention, harm reduction and treatment > Type of care > Mental health care (Psychiatry / Psychology)
J Health care, prevention, harm reduction and treatment > Health care delivery
J Health care, prevention, harm reduction and treatment > Health care administration > Health care quality control
VA Geographic area > International
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