title: Putting population health into practice through primary health care.
abstract: The introduction of the Primary Health Care Strategy has offered opportunities to take a population health approach to the planning and delivery of primary health care. The lack of a common understanding of population health between primary care and public health has been the prompt for a group of academics and practitioners to join forces and produce this statement on a population health approach to primary care, through primary health care. This paper takes the position that the features of a population health approach (such as a concern for equity, community participation, teamwork and attention to the determinants of health) enhance general practice care rather than undermine it. We conclude that the contribution of the health sector towards population health goals can be achieved through collaboration between GPs, nurses, other primary health care workers, and communities, together with health promotion and public health practitioners. Finding common language and understanding is an important step towards improving that collaboration.
authors.affiliation: School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand. p.neuwelt@auckland.ac.nz
authors.forename: Pat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Neuwelt
authors.forename: Don
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Matheson
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Arroll
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dowell
authors.forename: Doone
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Winnard
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Crampton
authors.forename: Nicolette Fay
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Sheridan
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cumming