Preventive Medicine

Preventive medicine is the practice of promoting preventive health care to improve patient well-being. The goal is to ultimately prevent disease, disability, and death.

A preventive medicine physician is a doctor who has experience in public health as well as clinical care. This allows them to provide insight and expertise in the prevention of injury, disease, and death.

While some physicians and specialties focus on helping people after they’re sick, preventive medicine physicians try to help before a condition or illness develops. Their goal
is to prevent health issues before there is a need to treat them.

Reasons to See a Preventive Medicine Physician

You may be referred to a preventive medicine physician if you are at risk of developing health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and heart disease — due to either genetics or your lifestyle. They may give you advice on how to make the necessary adjustments to avoid developing chronic (long-lasting) conditions.

Your primary care doctor may also act as a preventive medicine physician and handle many of these tasks,including providing immunizations and medications to prevent conditions.