Preventive Medicine: Importance, Objectives, and How to Put It into Practice

In the routine of healthcare institutions, much of the focus is on the efficiency of administrative and financial processes. Controlling costs, avoiding waste, and ensuring agile service are constant challenges.

But what if the focus and internal processes of healthcare itself could follow this same logic, preventing problems before they cause greater impacts? Preventive medicine does exactly that.

Instead of acting only in the treatment of already established diseases, it proposes continuous monitoring of patients’ health, reducing the incidence of more serious conditions and, consequently, the costs associated with complex treatments.

This means fewer hospital stays, fewer emergency tests, and a more predictable workflow for medical and administrative staff. Understand it in this article!

What is preventive medicine?

Preventive medicine is a set of practices aimed at reducing the incidence of diseases through continuous health monitoring.

The goal is to prevent the development of problems or to identify early signs for timely intervention.

Some preventive medicine practices include regular consultations, routine exams, and monitoring of high-risk patients.

These measures allow for the identification of changes before they become more serious conditions, reducing the need for complex treatments.

What are the types of preventive medicine?

Preventive medicine is divided into four categories, each with a specific focus.

The tiered structure allows institutions to adopt measures to prevent diseases, identify risks, and minimize the impacts of chronic illnesses.

The proper use of these strategies can reduce emergency care and optimize resources. They are as follows:

• Primary prevention: reduces risk factors and prevents the development of diseases. Vaccination, dietary control, and promoting physical activity are part of this approach. Measures of this type reduce the need for future treatments;
• Secondary prevention: identifies diseases at early stages to allow for early interventions. Routine exams, detection of chronic illnesses, and periodic check-ups increase the chances of effective control and reduce complications;
• Tertiary prevention: acts to reduce complications in patients with diagnosed illnesses. Continuous monitoring, correct use of medications, and adjustments to routines help prevent worsening, hospitalizations, and decreased quality of life;
• Quaternary prevention: avoids unnecessary procedures and reduces risks associated with excessive interventions. Careful assessment of treatments helps avoid exams, surgeries, and medications without real benefit for the patient.

Importance of preventive medicine for public health

The adoption of disease prevention strategies is essential for improving public health and optimizing healthcare system resources.

In Brazil, lack of physical activity is one of the main risk factors for non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs). Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 17.5 million people die annually from cardiovascular diseases, classifying them as an epidemic.

Physical inactivity is also associated with a higher incidence of various chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, several types of cancer, and ischemic heart disease.

To give you an idea, in 2022 alone, approximately 400,000 people in the country died from circulatory system diseases. The prevalence of physical inactivity is higher among individuals with lower education levels and among women, indicating the need for public health policies targeted at these groups.

Investing in preventive medicine programs that promote healthy habits can significantly reduce the incidence of these diseases and ease the burden on the healthcare system.

Primary prevention, focused on education and promoting healthy lifestyles, is essential to reduce the prevalence of risk factors and, consequently, associated mortality.

Technology and preventive medicine

Technology plays an increasingly relevant role in preventive medicine. The use of data, automation, and digital tools improves health management and reduces waste.

For institutions, these innovations also allow for greater cost control, optimized care, and better outcomes in disease prevention.

More predictability and efficiency in healthcare management

Data analysis and the use of artificial intelligence help identify risk patterns and anticipate health problems.

Management software enables real-time monitoring of indicators, facilitating data-driven decision-making.

These tools reduce the burden on emergency services and improve the scheduling efficiency.

Greater patient adherence to preventive actions

Telemedicine applications and remote monitoring facilitate the health follow-up of patients.

The automatic sending of reminders about exams and appointments increases adherence to preventive measures.

With greater access to information, patients can maintain a care routine in a more organized way.

Reduction of costs with treatments and hospitalizations

Continuous monitoring through wearable devices allows the detection of changes before they become severe.

Technology helps control chronic diseases, avoiding complications and prolonged hospitalizations.

In the long term, these measures contribute to more efficient use of the clinic’s financial resources.

Less waste and more agile administrative processes

Management systems reduce errors in medical records, cut down on repeated work, and optimize internal processes.

The digitization of documents and automation of administrative routines improve the team’s workflow.

With more agile processes, it is possible to direct more efforts toward preventive care. Preventive medicine reduces costs, optimizes care, and improves health quality.

With the support of technology, institutions gain efficiency, avoid waste, and ensure a more strategic service.

Process optimization and a focus on preventive medicine offer benefits to institutions and patients alike.

About Pixeon

Pixeon is the company with the largest software portfolio for the healthcare market.

Our solutions serve hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and diagnostic imaging centers, covering both management (HIS, CIS, RIS, and LIS) and diagnostic processes (PACS and Laboratory Interface), ensuring high performance and top-tier management in healthcare institutions.

The HIS/CIS software for hospitals and clinics, Pixeon Smart, is a complete solution that integrates the entire institution into a single system. It is also certified with the highest level of digital maturity by SBIS (Brazilian Society of Health Informatics).

We already have over 3,000 clients in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Colombia, serving millions of patients annually through our platforms.

Want to know if Pixeon’s technologies offer everything you’ve always wanted for your hospital or clinic? Request a commercial consultation and be amazed by everything our management system can provide!