| Tobacco
Use |
|
Provide tobacco cessation counseling to patients who use tobacco
products. Counsel pregnant women and parents about the potentially harmful effects of smoking on fetal and child health. Prescribe
nicotine patches or gum to selected patients as an adjunct to counseling. Give antitobacco messages to young people as part
of health promotion counseling.
|
| Alcohol
Abuse |
| Screen
all adults and adolescents for problem drinking, using a careful history or a standardized screening questionnaire. |
| Advise
pregnant women to limit or abstain from drinking. |
| Counsel
all persons who use alcohol about the dangers of operating a motor vehicle or engaging in other potentially dangerous activities
while drinking. |
|
Drug Abuse |
|
Although the evidence is insufficient for a strong recommendation
to be made, it is reasonable to ask adolescents and adults about drug use and drug-related problems. All pregnant women should
be advised of the potential adverse effects of drug use on fetal development. Refer drug-abusing patients to specialized treatment
facilities where available.
|
| Preventing
Motor Vehicle Injuries |
|
Counsel all patients and the parents of young people to use occupant
restraints (lab/shoulder safety belts and child safety seats), to wear helmets when riding motorcycles, and to refrain from
driving while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
|
| Preventing
Falls |
| Counsel
elderly patients on specific measures to reduce the risk of falls. Effective measures include exercise, balance training,
environmental hazard reduction, and monitoring and adjusting medications. Provide multifactorial individualized interventions
to elderly patients at especially high risk for falls. |
|
Fires |
|
Advise homeowners to install smoke detection devices and test them
periodically. Infants and children should wear flame-resistant nightclothes. Smokers should cease or reduce smoking.
|
| Drowning |
|
Families with swimming pools should install four-sided 4-ft isolation
fences with self-latching gates.
|
| Firearm
Injuries |
| Remove
firearms from the home or store them unloaded in a locked compartment. |
