Glossary: E

The extent to which a specific intervention, procedure, regimen or service does what it is intended to do for a specified population when deployed in everyday circumstances.

Information and communication technologies that support the remote management of people and communities with a range of health care needs through supporting self-care and enabling electronic communications among health workers and between health workers and patients.

The identification and assignment of populations to specific health care facilities, teams, or providers who are responsible for the health needs and delivery of coordinated care in that population.

The process of supporting people and communities to take control of their own health needs resulting, for example, in the uptake of healthier behaviours or an increase in the ability to self-manage illnesses.

The process of involving people and communities in the design, planning and delivery of health services, thereby enabling them to make choices about care and treatment options or to participate in strategic decision-making on how health resources should be spent.

The absence of systematic or potentially remediable differences in health status, access to health care and health-enhancing environments, and treatment in one or more aspects of health across populations or population groups defined socially, economically, demographically or geographically within and across countries.

Medicines that satisfy the priority health care needs of the population and are selected based on public health relevance, evidence on efficacy and safety, and comparative cost– effectiveness.

The spectrum of competences and actions that are required to reach the central objective of public health — improving the health of populations. This document focuses on the core or vertical functions: health protection, health promotion, disease prevention, surveillance and response, and emergency preparedness.

A process that systematically and objectively assesses the relevance, effectiveness and impact of activities in the light of their objectives and the resources deployed. Several varieties of evaluation can be distinguished, such as evaluation of structure, process and outcome.