ABSTRACT
The settings approach to health promotion has much to offer for the future since it adopts a socioecological perspective, which recognizes that health is influenced by contextual and environmental influences in addition to biological and behavioral factors. Health promotion plays on many stages including the home, community, school, workplace, and physician’s office. In health promotion, physicians must consider the issues of health behaviors, environment, values and culture. The field has progressed from prevention to health promotion to wellness to well-being to population health, all of which continue to be necessary for overall population health; however, a comprehensive concept of individual and health remains elusive. Electronic medical records (EMR) can play a key role in helping physicians address health promotion among their patients. EMRs can prompt certain information about family history or suggest a measurement of exercise as one of the vital signs.
