Question

• Distinguish between the levels of prevention.
• Provide two (2) examples of each type of prevention.
• Identify the circumstances and settings in which each level is indicated. Explain your answers.

Answer 1

Answer;

Distinguish between levels of prevention with examples.

Primary prevention

It mainly targets individuals who may be at risk to develop a medical condition and intervenes to prevent the onset of that condition.

The main aim of primary prevention to prevent disease or injury before it ever occurs.

It should be done by preventing exposures to hazards that cause disease or injury, altering unhealthy or unsafe behaviours that can lead to disease or injury.

Examples include childhood vaccination programs, water fluoridation, anti-smoking programs, and education about safe sex.

Secondary prevention

It targets individuals who have developed an asymptomatic disease and institutes treatment to prevent complications.

The secondary prevention aims to reduce the impact of a disease or injury that has already occurred.

It should be done by detecting and treating disease or injury as soon as possible to halt or slow its progress, encouraging personal strategies to prevent reinjury or recurrence.

Examples include routine Papanicolaou tests and screening for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or hyperlipidemia.

Tertiary prevention

It targets individuals with a known disease, with the goal of limiting or preventing future complications.

The tertiary prevention aims to soften the impact of an ongoing illness or injury that has lasting effects.

It is done by helping people manage long-term, often-complex health problems and injuries.

Examples include screening patients with diabetes for microalbuminuria, rigorous treatment of diabetes mellitus, and post-myocardial infarction prophylaxis with b-blockers and aspirin.

Circumstances and settings which each level is indicated;

Primary prevention commonly used setting are

Mass population ;it is the directed at the whole population irrespective of individual risk level.

The population approach direct towards the socioeconomic, behavioural and life style changes

High risk group;The high risk to bring stratergy aims the preventive care to individual at high risk.

Secondary prevention;settings include

It include mass treatment

Like juvenile mass treatment centre

Selective mass treatment centre

Total mass treatment centre

Teritary prevention;the settings include home by providing hospice care,palliative care unit,hospitals and rehabilitation centres.