The Preventive Care Program at Beaver Medical Group

 

	An old adage has been paraphrased: "An ounce of prevention is a lot of very hard work!" Beaver Medical Group's Preventive Task Force sees it as their job to make that hard work as easy as possible for you and your doctor. The Task Force, comprised of primary care physicians, specialists, and health educators, continuously reviews new evidence based information from the US Preventive Services Task force and other health agencies. Surprisingly, most healthy people can complete all the recommended preventive care actions with a minimum of effort. The preventive care recommendations for screenings, immunizations and counseling are based on scientific evidence that weighs the benefits and risks of each intervention. The “Scope of Preventive Services” for the physicians at Beaver Medical Group is regularly updated to include the new recommendations. These recommendations are primarily directed at healthy adults without risk factors, all of whom should discuss preventive issues with their physician and have different screening tests as they age. For example everyone should discuss smoking and alcohol use and safety issues with their doctor. In addition, men should have their cholesterol checked by age 35 and women need to start mammograms at age 40. Colorectal cancer screenings begin at age 50 with either a lab test called a fecal occult blood test, which must be done yearly, or a sigmoidoscopy. Testing for chlamydia infection is recommended for nearly all younger women, and is frequently overlooked by the public. The key to early detection and disease prevention is to work with your doctor to design a program of preventive health care suited to your particular needs. The health history questionnaire you are asked to fill out for your doctor can help tailor your personal preventive care program. It may uncover additional risk factors that will dictate additional preventive testing. The screening guidelines lists the preventive tests and immunizations that healthy adults need. Check the guidelines to see if you are overdue for any. Some of these interventions can be done without a formal visit, so check with your doctor's office to see if what you need is a nurse visit, a regular office visit or a more complete exam. The preventive care section of this website not only has the screening guidelines, it also has children’s immunization charts and you can download Adult and Child Health Guides with more complete information and health advice. Printed guides are also available from your doctor. Preventive care is a team effort between you and your physician. We encourage you to take charge of your health and live a longer and happier life!
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