Читать книгу Pathy's Principles and Practice of Geriatric Medicine - Группа авторов - Страница 245

Prevention in medicine has traditionally been divided into primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Primary prevention is the prevention of disease before it actually starts.

The traditional definition of secondary prevention is the detection of disease at an early stage. This can be detection of asymptomatic disease by screening tests or identification of unreported problems by case‐finding. The following caution needs to be added to the definition: detection should only be done if detection is likely to improve outcomes such as mortality, morbidity, function, or quality of life. The priority and importance of outcomes need to be made based on patient preference.

Tertiary screening, using a comprehensive geriatric assessment approach, allows for the identification and intervention of established health conditions such as cognitive impairment, gait and balance disorders, malnutrition, and urinary incontinence. The goal of the intervention would be to prevent or minimize a patient’s functional decline in order to maintain their independent lifestyle, since functional decline and loss of independence are not inevitable consequences of ageing.