Primary prevention denotes an action taken to prevent the development of a disease in a person who is well and does not (yet) have the disease in question. For example, we can immunize a person against certain diseases so that the disease never develops or, if a disease is environmentally induced, we can prevent a person's exposure to the environmental factor involved and thereby prevent the development of the disease. Primary prevention is our ultimate goal. For example, we know that most lung cancers are preventable. If we can help to stop people from ever smoking, we can eliminate 80% to 90% of lung cancer in human beings. However, although our aim is to prevent diseases from occurring in human populations, for many diseases, such as prostate cancer and Alzheimer disease, we do not yet have the biologic, clinical, or epidemiologic data on which to base effective primary prevention programs. Show Secondary prevention involves identifying people in whom a disease process has already begun but who have not yet developed clinical signs and symptoms of the illness. This period in the natural history of a disease is called thepreclinical phase of the illness and is discussed inChapter 18. Once a person develops clinical signs or symptoms it is generally assumed that under ideal conditions the person will seek and obtain medical advice. Our objective with secondary prevention is to detect the disease earlier than it would have been detected with usual care. By detecting the disease at an early stage in its natural history, often through screening, it is hoped that treatment will be easier and/or more effective. For example, most cases of breast cancer in older women can be detected through mammography. Several recent studies indicate that routine testing of the stool for occult blood can detect treatable colon cancer early in its natural history but colonoscopy is a better test, although far more expensive and invasive. The rationale for secondary prevention is that if we can identify disease earlier in its natural history than would ordinarily occur, intervention measures may be more effective and life prolonged. Perhaps we can prevent mortality or complications of the disease and use less invasive or less costly treatment to do so. Evaluating screening for disease and the place of such intervention in the framework of disease prevention are discussed inChapter 18. Tertiary prevention denotes preventing complications in those who have already developed signs and symptoms of an illness and have been diagnosed (i.e., people who are in the clinical phase of their illness). This is generally achieved through prompt and appropriate treatment of the illness combined with ancillary approaches such as physical therapy that are designed to prevent complications such as joint contractures. View chapter on ClinicalKey Disease PreventionE. Nolte, in International Encyclopedia of Public Health, 2008 Tertiary PreventionTertiary prevention seeks to reduce the impact of established disease by eliminating or reducing disability, minimizing suffering, and maximizing potential years of quality life. In epidemiological terms, tertiary prevention aims to reduce the number and/or impact of complications. This is the task of therapy and rehabilitation. Strategies for tertiary prevention include screening of patients with diabetes for diabetic retinopathy to prevent progression to blindness through prompt treatment; prevention of opportunistic infections in HIV infection; provision of prostheses and medical devices to enable persons to take part in social life; follow-up of chronically ill patients to ensure adherence to medication regimen, monitor changes, and assisting them in maintaining independence in daily life; and rehabilitation of stroke patients to restore functions, such as through physiotherapy, and prevent recurrence or further complications through appropriate medication. \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)
Levels of PreventionThree broad categories of determinants of human behavior will be discussed in this study session and you will have an opportunity to learn about the influence of these factors in determining human behavior. Prevention, as it relates to health, is really about avoiding disease before it starts. It has been defined as the plans for, and the measures taken, to prevent the onset of a disease or other health problem before the occurrence of the undesirable health event. There are three distinct levels of prevention. Primary prevention—those preventive measures that prevent the onset of illness or injury before the disease process begins.
Secondary prevention—those preventive measures that lead to early diagnosis and prompt treatment of a disease, illness or injury to prevent more severe problems developing. Here health educators such as Health Extension Practitioners can help individuals acquire the skills of detecting diseases in their early stages.
Tertiary prevention—those preventive measures aimed at rehabilitation following significant illness. At this level health services workers can work to retrain, re-educate and rehabilitate people who have already developed an impairment or disability. Read the list of the three levels of prevention again. Think about your experience of health education, whether as an educator or recipient of health education.
Health Education can be applied at all three levels of disease prevention and can be of great help in maximizing the gains from preventive behavior.
You have learned that:
Summary
Make sure that you are comfortable with the difference between primary prevention activities and secondary prevention activities. Remember that primary prevention activities will actually stop the illness happening, while secondary activities stop the illnesses getting worse. Learning Activity
[reveal-answer q=”403376″]Show Sources[/reveal-answer] SourcesLevels of Prevention:Health Education, Advocacy and Community Mobilization Chapter: 4. Human Behaviour and Health: 1, Open Learn, LearnSpace, http://labspace.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=452836§ion=20.3 Summary:Health Education, Advocacy and Community Mobilisation, Openlearn, cc-by-nc-sa, http://labspace.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=452834&printable=1 [/hidden-answer] CC licensed content, Shared previously
1.3: Three Levels of Health Promotion/Disease Prevention is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts. What is primary prevention and secondary prevention?Summary. Primary prevention includes those measures that prevent the onset of illness before the disease process begins. Immunization against infectious disease is a good example. Secondary prevention includes those measures that lead to early diagnosis and prompt treatment of a disease.
What are the differences between primary secondary and tertiary prevention?The primary prevention approach focuses on preventing disease before it develops; secondary prevention attempts to detect a disease early and intervene early; and tertiary prevention is directed at managing established disease in someone and avoiding further complications.
What are examples of secondary prevention?Secondary prevention
Examples include: regular exams and screening tests to detect disease in its earliest stages (e.g. mammograms to detect breast cancer) daily, low-dose aspirins and/or diet and exercise programs to prevent further heart attacks or strokes.
What is considered secondary prevention?2. Secondary Prevention—screening to identify diseases in the earliest. stages, before the onset of signs and symptoms, through measures such. as mammography and regular blood pressure testing.10.
|
