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The Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine states:
Public health medicine is that branch of medical practice, which is primarily concerned with the health and care of populations. It is concerned with the promotion of health and the prevention of disease and illness; the assessment of a community's health needs; and the provision of services to communities in general and to specific groups within them.
The public health physician must understand health and disease in populations. They may be a generalist with a broad understanding of many conditions and circumstances, or they may specialise in an area of public health.
The public health physician has clinical knowledge and skills. Although they do not necessarily use that knowledge and those skills in daily practice, they nonetheless inform public health medicine. The public health physician should be able to work well and productively with other health providers and with members of the public. The public health physician appreciates and uses scientific method in evaluating population health or disease.
The public health physician must be able to negotiate with other sections of the medical profession to involve them in the determination of the:
The public health physician must also understand government regulatory power; management technique and style; the rights and duties of health providers; and the dynamic relationship of health providers, funders and the public in the formulation of health care and population health policy.
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