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1. What are the three levels of prevention in primary care and how do they apply to
individuals across the lifespan and families? Provide an example for each level.
- The three levels of prevention are primary, secondary and tertiary. Primary
prevention aims to prevent disease or injury before it occurs by reducing risk
factors or enhancing protective factors. For example, immunization, health
education, family planning, etc. Secondary prevention aims to detect and treat
disease or injury early, before it causes significant morbidity or mortality. For
example, screening tests, early diagnosis, treatment, referral, etc. Tertiary
prevention aims to reduce the impact of disease or injury that has already
occurred by restoring function, preventing complications and improving quality of
life. For example, rehabilitation, palliative care, chronic disease management, etc.
2. What are the four main components of a comprehensive health history and what
information should be obtained for each component? Explain why each
component is important for primary care.
- The four main components of a comprehensive health history are biographical data,
reason for visit, present illness and past medical history. Biographical data include
basic information about the patient such as name, age, gender, marital status,
occupation, etc. This helps to establish rapport and identify demographic factors
that may influence health status or access to care. Reason for visit includes the
chief complaint or the main reason why the patient seeks care. This helps to focus
the history and prioritize the most urgent or relevant issues. Present illness
includes a detailed description of the symptoms, onset, duration, frequency,
severity, location, radiation, quality, aggravating and relieving factors, associated
symptoms and treatments related to the chief complaint. This helps to elicit a
comprehensive picture of the patient's current condition and formulate a
differential diagnosis. Past medical history includes information about previous
illnesses, surgeries, hospitalizations, allergies, medications, immunizations, family
history and social history. This helps to identify risk factors, comorbidities, genetic
predispositions and lifestyle behaviors that may affect the patient's current or
future health.
3. What are the five vital signs that should be measured and recorded for every
patient in primary care? What are the normal ranges for each vital sign and what
are some possible causes of abnormal values?
- The five vital signs are temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and
oxygen saturation. The normal ranges for each vital sign are:
- Temperature: 36.5°C to 37.5°C (97.7°F to 99.5°F). Abnormal values may indicate
infection, inflammation, dehydration, thyroid dysfunction or environmental
exposure.
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