What it means
The last of the three levels of prevention. It aims to stop an existing illness from getting worse, prevent complications and help the person live as fully as possible. Examples are cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack, physical therapy after a stroke, foot care teaching for a client with diabetes and support groups. secondary preventionSEK-un-dair-ee pree-VEN-shunThe level of prevention that finds a disease early and treats it promptly so it does not get worse.Full entry comes before it, finding disease early.
Related terms
rehabilitation
Care that helps a person regain, keep or improve the skills and independence lost through illness, injury or surgery.
primary prevention
Actions taken to stop a disease or injury from happening in the first place.
secondary prevention
The level of prevention that finds a disease early and treats it promptly so it does not get worse.