Process of Identification & Definition

Process of Identification & Definition Student Name Institutional Affiliation Process of Identification & Definition Health is a basic human need that all individuals in the world should enjoy. While health is important, it begins by identifying what the term “health” means. The identification of the meaning of health is needed to ensure that individuals have a common understanding regarding health. Further, the formulation of health policy is highly dependent on how individuals perceive the term “health.” This essay will explore the concept of health and how it related to the health policy process. It will also focus on how the World Health Organization (WHO) health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define the term “health.” Why is the definition of health important to health policy? Good health is critical to human endeavor. It is essential that individuals and organizations work towards ensuring that people have better health. Achieving better depends largely on the healthy policy of a particular country. Health policy refers to the decisions and actions done to achieve given healthcare goals within a society (Kumar & Preetha, 2012). Through health policy, it is possible to define the future of health, which assists in establishing points of reference for both the short and medium-term. For the policymakers, achieving better health for the populations is the ultimate goal. However, for the formulation of appropriate health policies, it is important to get a proper meaning of health. This is because the formulation of health policy cannot start with a clean slate. It must be based on the understanding of the policymakers regarding the meaning of health. For instance, when the definition of health focuses on the absence of illness, then this will lead to the formulation of a health policy which is narrow. However, if health is defined as physical, mental and social wellbeing, then this will lead to a comprehensive formulation of health policy. This is because the health policy will focus on the need to recover and bounce back from sickness as well as preventing illness in the first place. In essence, the definition of health is important because it allows policymakers to reach an agreement on what they need to do to achieve better health for all people. Define the term “target population” as it relates to health policy. It is not possible for particular health policy to meet the needs of the entire population. Formulating a health policy would require narrowing down to a particular group. Otherwise, the health policy would be too broad and may not achieve its intended purpose. Consequently, a health policy needs to focus on a particular target population (McLaughlin & McLaughlin, 2014). The target population is the population that will be affected by health policy. For instance, the target population for a screening program would involve identifying a target population would involve describing the settings and characteristics of the people who qualify for the screening. When formulating a health policy on screening, then it is critical to describe the characteristics of individuals who need the screening. These could be mothers who need screening for breast cancer. After dete...