Clinical Preventive Services Health Article

CLINICAL PREVENTIVE SERVICES

Clinical preventive services are disease prevention and health promotion interventions delivered in the context of clinical care and provided to individual patients in ambulatory and hospital settings. Prevention interventions include primary prevention services, such as counseling about risk reduction, immunizations, and chemoprophylaxis (e.g., taking supplemental folic acid before and during pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects); and secondary prevention services, such as screening for early detection of asymptomatic disease to permit early intervention and promote improved outcomes. Clinical preventive services are recommended for asymptomatic individuals in all age groups and risk categories and, while ideally delivered by all clinicians, are generally provided in primary-care settings.

ROBERT S. LAWRENCE

(SEE ALSO: Prevention; Preventive Medicine; Primary Prevention; Secondary Prevention; Tertiary Prevention)