Modern Trends in Development of Educational and Scientific Discipline ‘Public Health and Healthcare’: Its Methodological Role and Integrative Function

INTRODUCTION: In modern conditions of social development, there is a change of emphasis in definitions concerning not only public, but also individual health. Preserving and strengthening the health of the population is a complex task that implies the interaction of various specialists. This integration, the complexity of interaction in issues concerning preserving and strengthening the health of the population, should undoubtedly be reflected in the training of specialists, and, first of all, in higher medical education. AIM: To determine the role of the discipline ‘Public Health and Healthcare’ (PHH) in teaching population health issues and in the integration of departments of various profiles in the study of individual, group and population health in modern conditions. The article presents a discussion about modern trends in the development of the educational and scientific PHH discipline based on the opinions of students, teachers and the experience of Sechenovskiy University. Thus, students of profiles ‘General Medicine’, ‘Pediatrics’, ‘Medical and Preventive Care’ think that studying public health issues is the task of doctors of all clinical specialties (69.4%–76.7%), of hygienists ( 60.0%), of epidemiologists ( 30.0%). Integration in the teaching of PHH issues, according to teachers of PHH departments, in such types of activities as academic work, educational work, general scientific projects, joint printed works, textbooks and teaching aids, joint innovative projects, is mainly carried out with teachers of preventive educational disciplines, to a much lesser extent with teachers of clinical and fundamental disciplines. CONCLUSION: An integrative approach to definitions, terms, and concepts is needed in the study of the health of individuals, population groups and population with a significant variety of disciplines and departments teaching them. The methodological role in teaching these issues is the prerogative of the PHH discipline.