**8.1 Medical or preventive approach**

As previously discussed, the medical approach to health promotion has three levels of intervention:


Nurses work very closely with sick persons in medical facilities and sometimes even with entire populations or groups who are at risk of sickness. In communities, schools, and industries, nurses have the platform to apply the clinical or preventive method to reduce mortality. It is imperative for nurses to use nursing capabilities in prevention and control of disease.

Nurses who work in this method of health promotion can be involved in immunization programmes, screening for diseases like cancers, or administering medication to individuals in palliative care settings. This method of health promotion also assumes the clinical version of health, which adopts a systematic view of the body whereby the part of the body system can be affected to disorganize the system. This systemic effect can be seen as signs and symptoms of the diseases and the medical approach will just target those signs and symptoms of the diseases. Additionally, sick people are expected to adhere to the instructions of the health expert and conform to treatment regimen for this approach to be effective. This method is in support with a conventional clinical hierarchy that regards the healthcare professional as an expert and the affected person as a clinical subject.
