Preventive Medicine practitioners work with large populations as well as with individual patients. These physicians are a select group. Although many physicians call themselves "Preventive Medicine" doctors, there are only about 2700 physicians in the entire country who are board-certified with special training in General Preventive Medicine and/or Public Health.

The Preventive Medicine physician is trained in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Services Administration, Behavioral Change Strategies, Environmental Health and Clinical Preventive Medicine.

"Clinical Preventive Medicine (CPM) is an integral part of preventive medicine concerned with the maintenance and promotion of health and the reduction of risk factors which result in injury and disease. CPM is practiced in the clinical setting through the assessment of risk factors to disease and injury and the application of preventive interventions. The CPM practitioner may be involved in risk reduction programs for individuals, communities, employees, or other populations.

"Clinical preventive medicine specialists have the knowledge and skills necessary to accomplish the following:

 

A. Assess risk of individuals for disease, using techniques such as screening and health risk assessment tools.

B. Implement interventions to modify or eliminate individuals' risk for disease/injury, using biologic, behavioral, and environmental approaches.

C. Organize and manage practice setting to facilitate the integration and monitoring of personal preventive services and be an advocate for health promotion activities for the individual.

D. Apply risk assessment, risk reduction, and media techniques to communities and populations including employee groups: be an advocate for health promotion and a resource for information about prevention strategies in the community.

E. Evaluate the effectiveness of individual and community risk reduction techniques and be a consultant to physicians, industry, and government for program development and evaluation." (ACPM News, the Newsletter of the American College of Preventive Medicine 1:3, 1989)

For more about this specialty visit the (American College of Preventive Medicine) website.

[[Home] [Clinic] [Articles] [Seminars] [Contact Us] [Links]