You’ve probably heard of the expression “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.” This is very true in matters of health.
Preventive care encompasses a range of services provided by primary care doctors, based on the patient’s baseline health status and risks. The goal is to prevent disease and help patients live longer. Vaccines and immunizations, annual physicals and wellness visits, and counseling on weight loss, sleep and making better lifestyle choices are examples of preventive care.
Why Is Preventive Care Important?
Identifying risk factors, preventing disease, and catching problems in their early stages are what make preventive care valuable. A comprehensive preventive care program empowers you to actively participate in maintaining your health and act on preventable risk factors, such as smoking, drinking, being overweight or obese, and poor sleep hygiene. It can also help reduce emergency room (ER) visits and hospitalizations, which lead to higher healthcare costs.
Here are a few examples of preventive care services:
Immunizations and vaccines help prevent illnesses and diseases including but not limited to measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, varicella, shingles, tetanus, influenza, and Covid-19.
Annual physicals are a comprehensive physical checkup to monitor your health and update your preventive care plan, if necessary. The doctor performs an assessment and makes recommendations. They may request that you undergo further testing based on the results of the exam. Annual physicals allow the doctor to assess your overall health and identify areas of concern as well as early signs of disease.
Wellness visits differ from annual physicals in that they focus on your overall health and well-being. The doctor will gauge your risk for preventable diseases like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers and develop a recommended screening schedule for you. This is a good time to ask questions and discuss health concerns with your doctor, and for the doctor to provide counseling on matters of diet, nutrition, weight loss, sleep, and lifestyle choices.
Health screenings check for signs of disease before they start causing symptoms. Screenings are recommended according to age, gender, and risk factors. For instance, the doctor may recommend colorectal screenings beginning at the age of 45, possibly earlier if you are considered high-risk. Women ages 40 and over should start annual breast cancer screenings. Early detection helps save lives, as these diseases are highly treatable in the early stages.
Your primary care doctor is your health advocate. It is much easier to make better lifestyle decisions if you are being guided by a doctor. It’s also a motivating factor. Make sure to take full advantage of the many benefits of preventive care. Talk to your doctor to get started.
Preventive Care in Irmo, SC
If you are looking for the highest quality preventive care services, our physicians at SC Internal Medicine Associates & Rehabilitation, LLC can help. We can help make improvements in areas of weight, sleep — one of our doctors has special training in sleep medicine — and manage and reduce your risk for preventable illnesses and diseases. If you have questions or to schedule a consultation, call us at (803) 749-1111 or use our appointment request form.
