Prevention--building on routine clinical practice.

BACKGROUND

The role of general practice in preventing disease and promoting health is strongly supported by research and health policies.

OBJECTIVE

This article examines the role of general practitioners in illness prevention and health promotion activities.

DISCUSSION

Despite time and other barriers, such as competing priorities, to the implementation of preventive activities, prevention is part of routine general practice. In providing care for the whole person over a long period of time prevention and treatment are not separate entities and the line between these are necessarily blurred. From a pragmatic point of view, if a practice is to increase its activity in prevention there needs to be a driver that makes this happen and strategies to suit the structure of the individual practice. Introducing small interventions and making use of the practice team is a good place to start in a range of health promotion activities including opportunistic education, brief interventions for patients with disease risk factors, and specific interventions for a known disease.