The four terms, public health, community health, population health, and community-based care, all refer to approaches that are used for promoting positive health outcomes within a specific group. Yet, some distinctions should be mentioned. For instance, community and population health are similar but unique approaches to the promotion of public health through the implementation of preventative strategies and upstream practices. Community health refers to collective efforts that organizations and individuals use to promote health within culturally or geographically defined groups. Population health is concerned with an outcome-driven approach for managing health within a specific group of individuals, which is usually characterized by attribution.
Community-based care encompasses a broad range of integrated care improvements within a wide range of settings, which can vary from workplaces to healthcare clinics. Finally, public health is defined as a science of improving and protecting the health of people and communities through healthy lifestyles as well as injury and disease prevention. Thus, while the primary objective within the four terms is concerned with health improvement, the settings and populations can be different. Community-based care resonates with me the most because it encompasses a wide range of community contexts that require attention on the part of healthcare professionals. Usually, the care is delivered in a way that is population and person-centered, with attention given to the economic, social, cultural, language, and cultural differences. Furthermore, community-based care involves rehabilitation support and end-of-life care, which are healthcare areas that can be overlooked due to the burden of chronic conditions from which populations suffer. Overall, it is crucial to understand the differences between the four terms as they imply different areas of practice with a common goal of general health improvement.