Take charge of your preventive health

This post was written by Brittney Harmeyer, BSN, MSN, NP-C, Parkview Health.

Routine preventive care plays an important role in maintaining overall health and identifying potential problems early. During a routine annual exam, your provider will assess health risk factors and offer recommendations for screening tests, blood work or other evaluations based on your personal and family medical history, as well as guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

Current recommendations

Annual physical exams are a perfect opportunity to discuss what preventive care recommendations are appropriate for you and when. These may include:

• Tetanus/TDAP (whooping cough) vaccine: CDC recommends vaccination every 10 years for all adults to maintain protection against tetanus. Once an adult has received a dose of Tdap, administer Td or Tdap for their booster doses.

• Pneumonia vaccine: CDC recommends routine pneumococcal vaccination for all children younger than 5 years and adults 50 years or older. In certain situations, it may be recommended that individuals aged 5 to 50 also receive pneumococcal vaccines.

• Shingles vaccine: CDC recommends adults over 50 years old receive a 2-dose series of recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV). CDC also recommends 2 doses of RZV for adults aged ≥19 years who are or will be immunodeficient or immunosuppressed.

• Breast cancer screening: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends mammography screening be offered annually to women beginning at age 40.

• Cervical cancer screening: The USPSTF recommends screening for cervical cancer in women aged 21 to 65 years with cytology (Pap smear) every 3 years. For women aged 30 to 65 years who want to lengthen the screening interval, they recommend screening with a combination of cytology and human papillomavirus (HPV) testing every five years.

• Colon cancer screening: The USPSTF recommends screening for colorectal cancer starting at age 45 years and continuing until age 75 years.

• Heart Smart Scan: Patients pass through an ultrafast CT scanner that produces images of the coronary arteries. These images are used to help detect the early stages of coronary artery disease.

Who needs a heart screening?

If you have several of the following risk factors for a heart attack, you should consider scheduling a HeartSmart CT Scan:

• Age 40+ (men) or 45+ (women)

• Family history of heart disease

• High cholesterol

• High blood pressure

• Vascular disease

• Excess weight

• Tobacco use

• Diabetes

• Stressful lifestyle

• Inactive lifestyle

Employee resources to support a healthy workforce

Parkview Employer Solutions partners with area businesses to deliver innovative services that improve employee health and well-being, including Employer Clinics, Signature Care, Workplace Wellness, Employee Assistance Program, Occupational Health and more. For additional information, please contact ParkviewEmployerSolutions@parkview.com.

DNA Insights

Parkview Health is inviting you to learn more about how your genes impact your health by participating in our new community health research program, DNA Insights. We believe this program may help us better understand and provide more personalized care for those impacted by heart disease or cancer.

If you’re interested in learning more or signing up for DNA Insights, visit parkview.com/DNAInsights. Already had a great experience with DNA Insights? Share your story with us!