Our efforts with individual patients can be complemented by policy advocacy and coalitions with public health agencies and community groups. No physician is likely to be surprised by any of the Leading Health Indicators. The individual behaviors and healthcare system factors they represent are widely recognized as serious health threats. The purpose of the Leading Health Indicators is to coordinate effort and foster action-oriented partnerships among public health and clinical medical professionals. The Leading Health Indicators illuminate the human and economic burdens of serious public health threats, but their real merit lies in their ability to create change.
Physicians can be agents of change in many ways.
First, we can take the opportunity to discuss health promotion and disease prevention with every patient, whether the patient is healthy or has a chronic disease. It appears that there is work to be done in our own house of medicine. The Leading Health Indicators can serve as a short list of high-impact topics to discuss with patients. We also have countless health improvement opportunities within our own communities. Some involve outreach to those who do not encounter the traditional healthcare system, such as the poor, the homeless, or the homebound.