An Ounce of Prevention

摘要

While we did not set out specifically to publish an issue of Healthcare Policy/Politiques de Santé focused on population health and preventive care, the theme emerged as the papers for this issue came together. The topics covered are broad – from early childhood development to laws that restrict smoking, and maternal mental health to chronic disease prevention. Equally diverse are the approaches that our authors have brought to shed new light on the complex policy questions involved. Reading through the papers again has caused me to reflect on the balance between prevention and cure in the health system and in health policy more generally. This central challenge plays out at the micro and macro levels across the health system and beyond, reflecting an equilibrium that evolves over time and differs from place to place.