secondary prevention

secondary prevention,

a level of preventive medicine that focuses on early diagnosis, use of referral services, and rapid initiation of treatment to stop the progress of disease processes or a handicapping disability.

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prevention [pre-ven´shun]

the keeping of something (such as an illness or injury) from happening.

fall prevention in the nursing interventions classification, a nursing intervention defined as instituting special precautions with the patient at risk for injury from falling.

pressure ulcer prevention in the nursing interventions classification, a nursing intervention defined as the prevention of pressure ulcers for a patient at high risk for developing them.

primary prevention the first level of health care, designed to prevent the occurrence of disease and promote health.

religious addiction prevention in the nursing interventions classification, a nursing intervention defined as prevention of a self-imposed controlling religious lifestyle. See also addiction.

secondary prevention the second level of health care, based on the earliest possible identification of disease so that it can be more readily treated or managed and adverse sequelae can be prevented.

shock prevention in the nursing interventions classification, a nursing intervention defined as detecting and treating a patient at risk for impending shock.

sports-injury prevention: youth in the nursing interventions classification, a nursing intervention defined as reducing the risk of sport-related injury in young athletes.

substance use prevention in the nursing interventions classification, a nursing intervention defined as the prevention of an alcoholic or drug use lifestyle. See also substance abuse.

suicide prevention in the nursing interventions classification, a nursing intervention defined as reducing risk of self-inflicted harm with intent to end life. See also suicide.

tertiary prevention the third phase or level of health care, concerned with promotion of independent function and prevention of further disease-related deterioration.

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secondary,

adj 1. not primary, immediately following the first position; supplemental.
2. directly emerging or resulting from an original source or condition.

secondary bone,

n a second layer of bone tissue that supersedes the original bone as part of the maturation process.

secondary cancer,

n an opportunistic neoplasm imposed on a host with reduced health and resistance resulting from a preceding primary neoplasm or viral infection.

secondary deficiency,

n an inadequacy of nutrients in the diet that is the result of the body's inability effectively to process and use the foods ingested, however healthy those foods might be; may be caused by disease, allergies, or interactions between drugs and nutrients or between two nutrients.

secondary dental caries,

n.pl See caries, recurrent.

secondary dentition,

n See dentition, permanent.

secondary hemorrhage,

n bleeding that develops 24 hours or more after the original injury or surgery. It is often caused by an infection.

secondary infectious disease,

n an opportunistic infection imposed on a host with reduced health and resistance resulting from a preceding infection by a more virulent organism.

secondary prevention,

n an action performed to take care of early symptoms of a disease and preclude the development of possible irreparable medical conditions. See also primary health care and primary prevention.

secondary radiation,

n See radiation, secondary.

secondary sex characteristic,

n an external physical characteristic of sexual maturity that distinguishes one gender from the other, such as the distribution of hair and voice changes.

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secondary prevention

Preventive medicine Reduction of M&M in Pts with a known disease, treating it while it is asymptomatic–eg, optimizing glycemic control in DM. See Healthy lifestyle. Cf Primary prevention.