AIIMS Rishikesh & Jodhpur NO - 2017
Community Health Nursing
Easy

A Nurse gives the influenza vaccine to 76 year old women at a health fair. It would be which level of prevention?

Appeared in: AIIMS Rishikesh & Jodhpur NO - 2017

Explanation

  • Primary prevention aims to prevent disease or injury before it ever occurs.
  • Administering a vaccine is a form of specific protection, which is a key strategy within primary prevention.
  • The influenza vaccine helps the individual's immune system develop antibodies to fight the virus, thus preventing the disease from occurring if the person is exposed.
  • This intervention happens in the pre-pathogenesis phase, before the individual is sick.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option B: Tertiary prevention focuses on rehabilitation and managing complications after a disease is already established and has caused damage. It does not involve preventing the disease itself.
  • Option C: Primordial prevention targets the underlying social and economic conditions that give rise to risk factors at a population level. It is broader than an individual intervention like a single vaccination.
  • Option D: Secondary prevention involves early detection and screening for an existing, but possibly asymptomatic, disease. A vaccine is given to prevent, not detect, a disease.

Related Visual

Visual explanation — Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
  • Nursing practice connection: Knowing Levels of Prevention in Public Health helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
  • Nurses are central to implementing all levels of prevention, from administering vaccines (primary) and conducting health screenings (secondary) to providing rehabilitation care (tertiary).
  • Understanding these levels is crucial for community health nurses to plan and implement effective health programs for individuals, families, and populations.
  • In the context of an aging population, primary prevention strategies like the annual flu shot are vital for reducing morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs associated with influenza in older adults.
How to Approach the Question
  • First, identify the core action in the question: 'gives the influenza vaccine'.
  • Next, determine the goal of this action. Is it to prevent risk factors from emerging in society (Primordial), prevent a specific disease before it starts (Primary), detect a disease early (Secondary), or manage an existing disease (Tertiary)?
  • A vaccine is given to a person to prevent them from getting a specific illness (influenza). This directly matches the definition of Primary Prevention.
  • Evaluate the other options to confirm your choice. Secondary (screening), Tertiary (rehabilitation), and Primordial (policy/mass education) do not fit the specific action of giving a vaccine to an individual.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Levels of Prevention in Public Health
  • Stem keywords: influenza vaccine, 76 year old, health fair, level of prevention
  • Lead-in keywords: which level
  • Clinical cues: Age (76 year old) indicates a vulnerable population for influenza.
  • Clinical cues: Action (gives influenza vaccine) is a specific health intervention.

Question ID

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Reference Book

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 1 pp. 96-98, 32-34

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart A (pp 26-201 of 604) p. 34-36

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