Lately, there has been increased emphasis on "preventative" care in the US now that there are some mandates under the Affordable Care Act. There is even the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force ( USPSTF ) which is a panel of private sector experts who recommend evidence based preventative screenings for certain conditions based on factors such as age and gender. As a family nurse practitioner, I base a large part of my practice on wellness and prevention in addition to episodic (or "sick") care. I believe in "wholistic" care - that is, care of the whole person including mental and physical states. Though lately, I question whether if "preventative" is really the best moniker for this type of care. Prevention assumes that one can completely avoid health conditions by subscribing to certain recommendations, screenings and/or tests. Is it naive or even obnoxious to think that we can prevent disease and illness? I have seen many patients follow a...
This is my blog that will highlight current issues, trends and policies affecting Nurse Practitioners and the health care system today.