Primary Prevention

According to the American College of Preventive Medicine, the goal of preventive medicine is to protect, promote and maintain health to prevent disease, disability and death. As health care develops and health care reforms have taken place, preventive medicine has been gradually emerging and emphasized. The growth of preventive medicine will require nurses to educate the public and inform them on the factors that contribute to preventive medicine.

Preventative care can be divided into three categories. Those being primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. As described by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (2013), primary prevention are “the measures taken to provide individuals with knowledge to prevent the onset of a targeted condition”. Primary prevention includes educating the community on seat belt use, nutrition, exercise, immunizations, etc. The purpose of primary prevention is to prevent illness and in turn this benefits individuals by increasing their quality of life but also avoids the financial burden of treatment.

In primary prevention, nurses act as educators. They are a resource to their community who encourage positive behaviors that will impact an individual’s health (Benedictine University, 2013). In secondary prevention, nurses help patients through the use of screening tools and help patients modify aspects of their lives that are currently affecting their health. Once patients are in the tertiary stage of prevention, nurse’s aid in developing and executing plans of care that will treat the current disease and hopefully prevent any further complications. Some other responsibilities aimed towards the nursing occupation include collaborating with others to promote a healthy community, serving as an advocate for the vulnerable populations and participating in public programs that help promote a healthy lifestyle (Stanhope,