Preventive medicine

Functions

One of the main functions of preventive medicine resides in the conservation, protection
and promotion of healthy habits.

Their actions are generally aimed at healthy individuals or a whole human group that
can be part of a community that is considered to be affected by risk factors.

Risk factors can be found in the environment, correspond to lifestyle habits or from
hereditary conditions, among others.

A typical case is revealed when certain contagious diseases appear and the authorities
of the health sector undertake mass vaccination campaigns in combination with other
measures.

The objective of preventive medicine focuses on the application of various strategies in

order to prevent people from contracting diseases. To meet its goals, it relies on the
creation of educational campaigns for the population with the use of social media.

It also includes the delivery of drugs to individuals who are considered vulnerable. Being
classified in this group all those that are associated with risk factors.

In general, the people targeted by preventive medicine are healthy and are considered
only to maintain their well-being.

For this reason, it is the area of Public Health whose functions, among others, are:

•Define

•Promote

•Run
•Apply

•Evaluate

All those activities related to prevention. Being the same ones carried out through the
Institutions in charge of healthcare. And This is in relation to individuals collectively or
equally established in risk groups. Which will be included in a scope of action of the
aforementioned institutions

Among the measures referred to Preventive Medicine are, among others:

• Vaccination campaigns

• Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases

• Awareness campaigns about relevant issues such as early pregnancy

Levels of Prevention

In current times, medicine has focused on disseminating information aimed at making

changes in both physical and social environments. And that they are the ones who go in
pursuit of promoting the health of the individual. And thus make the modifications of
harmful behaviors which would reduce the risks of diseases.

This is how Preventive Medicine presents three levels for the establishment of disease
prevention, which are:

Primary prevention

It refers to the actions carried out by health organizations, the government or organized
communities in order to prevent the population from contracting diseases.
Secondary prevention

It is a type of prevention that occurs specifically during the initial stages of a disease.

Through this approach, it is considered that the treatment of some pathologies in their
initial stages is much more effective and reduces the adverse effects in individuals in
the long term.

The goal of secondary prevention revolves around early detection in order to keep
people healthy and increase life expectancy.

Tertiary prevention

It is the third phase of preventive medicine and unlike the primary one, it becomes
evident in the presence of a disease that can be chronic.

Its main objective will be the preservation of the health of the individuals that make up a
certain population.

However, their actions will focus on controlling or reducing the risk factors that appear
as a result of the emergence of a specific disease.

The techniques used for tertiary prevention help reduce the chances that the sequelae
of chronic diseases affect other parts of the body.

Quaternary prevention

As the last stage of preventive medicine, it is equally interested in the well-being of the
patient but from another perspective.

Quaternary prevention focuses on healthy or sick individuals, so to speak, and focuses

on avoiding health problems that can arise from medical practices as well as
treatments.

Weblinks

https://www.lifeder.com/medicina-preventiva/
https://micarrerauniversitaria.com/c-medicina/medicina-preventiva/