This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Preventative care

Authoring team

  • Primary prevention is prevention before onset of disease
  • Secondary prevention is the detection of asymptomatic disease
  • Tertiary prevention is the prevention of the complications of symptomatic disease

These distinctions are useful in concept but blurred in practice. For example, treating hypertension is secondary prevention if considering the condition in its own right but primary prevention if considering stroke, left ventricular failure or renal failure. Stopping smoking is primary prevention of lung cancer but tertiary prevention of existing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

ref: Principles of Ambulatory Med 4e L Randol Barker et al


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.