ABSTRACT
Social epidemiologists state that medical care makes only a relatively modest contribution to population health. Primary healthcare seems to be a key determinant of the health of the nations. A separate line of reasoning that questions the contribution of medicine to population health focuses on the empirical relationship between national expenditures on medical care and life expectancies in different countries, which reveals very little association between the two. Based on clinical trial evidence and the timing of the introduction of different medical innovations, they attempted to quantify the population health impacts of a range of preventive and curative medical services. Good primary care experience, in particular enhanced accessibility and continuity, are associated with better self-reported physical and mental health. The key message of social epidemiology is that there are many determinants of population health and health disparities besides what takes place within the healthcare sector.
