
Explore the WHO definition of health as complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and examine determinants—biological, behavioral, social, environmental, and policy factors—that shape health outcomes and guide prevention.
Explore mental health as social, emotional, and psychological well-being. Understand its impact on thoughts, feelings, stress management, and relationships.
Explore how public health uses plans, initiatives, education, policy, and research to prevent disease, reduce disparities, and protect community health.
Discover how nurses deliver holistic patient care across settings through assessment, diagnosis, care planning, education, advocacy, coordination, infection control, and emotional support.
Explore how healthcare services unfold across settings, including hospitals, primary care clinics, specialty clinics, urgent care centers, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, home healthcare, and telehealth.
Explore how primary care clinics serve as the frontline of health care, delivering comprehensive services through family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, women's health, community health, and telemedicine.
Compare general, pediatric, orthopedic, occupational health, telemedicine, retail-based, and walk-in urgent care centers, each offering extended hours, on-site imaging, and care for non-life threatening conditions.
Explore health maintenance organizations as a managed care model prioritizing preventive care and cost containment through provider networks, capitation, and PCP gatekeeping, highlighting benefits and limits on referrals and choice.
Define health literacy as ability to obtain, understand, and use health information to make informed care decisions. Examine challenges, strategies, and its impact on access, adherence, preventive care, and equity.
Discover telehealth as a flexible, accessible element of health care delivery, combining telemedicine, remote monitoring, health education, and integration with electronic health records and health systems.
Explore the challenges in delivering healthcare services, including access barriers, affordability, insurance gaps, regional disparities, care coordination, and patient safety concerns.
Explore how nurses serve as key stakeholders in healthcare, delivering direct patient care, leadership, and education across hospitals, clinics, and community settings.
Explore diverse outpatient clinic types from primary care and urgent care to diabetes clinics, cardiology clinics, pediatrics clinics, and mental health clinics, delivering preventive care and chronic disease management.
Compare inpatient and outpatient health care facilities, detailing definitions, services, and patient care characteristics. Explore advantages, challenges, and how integrated systems optimize access, costs, and care continuity.
Explore how US hospitals form a diverse system, with general, specialty, teaching, and government facilities, handling inpatient admissions, emergency care, and readmission-reducing efforts through electronic health records and telemedicine.
The "Introduction to Health Care, Public Health, and EHRs" course is designed to provide students with a foundational understanding of the interconnected fields that constitute the modern health care systems. This course explores the multifaceted landscape of health care, emphasizing the critical role that public health initiatives and electronic health records (EHRs) play in delivering efficient, effective, and equitable medical services.
Through this course, learners will delve into the structure and operation of health care facilities, gaining insights into the roles and responsibilities of health care professionals within both clinical and administrative settings. Key topics include health care delivery models, policy frameworks, and the economic forces that influence service accessibility and quality.
In addition to health care delivery, the course underscores the significance of public health as a pivotal component of community well-being. Students will explore foundational public health concepts such as epidemiology, disease prevention, and health promotion strategies. The course highlights the importance of public health policies and programs in mitigating health disparities and responding to emergent health threats.
Another critical focus of this course is the integration of technology in health care through EHRs. Students will learn how EHRs enhance patient care by improving information accuracy, facilitating data sharing among providers, and enabling patient engagement in their health management.
Ultimately, this course prepares students to appreciate the synergy between health care, public health, and technology, fostering a holistic perspective that is essential for future professionals in the health sciences and related fields. Students will be equipped to contribute to the evolution of health systems, healthcare delivery, and to advance public health objectives in diverse environments.