The Role of the Public Health Nurse- Primary Prevention

BY Blair Gifford RN

An important aspect of public health nursing is education and prevention. There are three levels of prevention primary, secondary, and tertiary. This post focuses on primary prevention. Primary prevention aims to prevent certain diseases from occurring (Stanhope and Lancaster, 2008). This type of prevention includes educating populations who are at risk for certain illnesses on lifestyle changes they can do to prevent these diseases (Stanhope and Lancaster, 2008). Primary preventions can only occur before the person has the disease and not after they have already been diagnosed. Primary prevention can include things such as educating an African-American male about lifestyle changes he can make to reduce his risk of developing hypertension, such as eating a healthy diet low in salt and cholesterol, daily exercise, limiting stress, eliminating smoking and alcohol use. There are non-modifiable risk factors that this patient would not be able to control, however if he is aware of the modifiable risk factors and can eliminate them he may reduce his risk of hypertension. Another example of primary prevention includes immunizations, which can prevent certain diseases (Stanhope and Lancaster, 2008). The community needs to be aware of what diseases there are immunizations for and when they should receive them. Education is a very large part of primary prevention. Providing people with the tools to protect themselves make them able to reduce the risk of getting certain diseases. Taking daily supplements such as vitamin C or a multivitamin to prevent illness is another example of primary prevention. The most important emphasis a nurse can place when it comes to primary prevention is on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and taking the necessary precautions to protect yourself from illness. Public health nurses have the tools to educate the community about what they can do to decrease their risk of illness and primary prevention is the most efficient way to decrease illness and disease in the community.

Reference
Stanhope, M. & Lancaster, J. (2008). Public Health Nursing: Population-Centered Health Care in the Community. St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby Inc.

NOTE: This blog post reflects the work of a Registered Nurse with minor editing by Shirley Comer RN and was completed as a class assignment. The content of this blog is for informational purposes only. Before beginning or changing a treatment or lifestyle regime you should consult your primary health care provider.