Public Health Competencies for Primary Care Clinicians

Primary care clinicians must apply public health competencies to deliver high-quality primary care and improve population health outcomes. Competency domains include population health assessment, health promotion and disease prevention, community and systems thinking, public health communication, personalized and contextual care, public health ethics and law, emergency preparedness, and data analytics. This article explores these competencies and provides practice examples. Integrating public health competencies into primary care training and clinical practice is essential for addressing contemporary health challenges and improving population health outcomes.