Implications of Stages of Prevention to Management of Chronic Conditions

Primary prevention aims to prevent a population or individual from developing a disease or condition. This might include health promotion activities aimed at building awareness of the link between behaviors and diseases (e.g., the link between condom use and prevention of HIV/AIDs). Unfortunately, not all diseases/conditions are captured at this primary stage and are instead identified at the secondary or tertiary stages of disease.

Secondary prevention includes screenings and tests to identify disease at the earliest stages. At the primary and secondary prevention stage, the possibility of behavior change and mitigation of inherent risks is better managed.

Tertiary prevention tends to fall on complete management of the disease. This stage is important as well in managing the quality of life of the individual and the impact on the population.

At the secondary and tertiary stages, there are still ways to manage the disease and improve quality of life, but the costs begin to rise.

Classifying stages of prevention is an important aspect of developing best practices and programs to meet the needs of the population. A clear understanding of where the at-risk population is in the process enhances the ability to make interventions that are effective and reliable. Health practitioners must develop skills to identify what stage would be most effective in a given disease, population, and budget.

Write an explanation of the implications of primary, secondary, and tertiary stages of prevention to the management of chronic diabetes. Include relevance of the stages to such aspects as health, society, finances, and impact on daily life. Be specific and provide examples.