title: [Preventive work in family medicine--proactive approach].
abstract: The role of general practitioner/family physician (GP/FP) in disease prevention and health promotion is strongly supported by research and health policies. The position of GPs/FPs in the health care system and their close, sustained contact with their patients and local community makes preventive care an integral part of GP/FP routine work. The spectrum of caring for patients in general practice/family medicine is actually very large, going from intervention on health care determinants to palliative care. The prevention-related activities are more or less present at each step of this "healthcare continuum". The significant gaps between GP/FP knowledge and practices persist in the use of evidence-based recommendations for health promotion and disease prevention. We describe the role of GP/FP in preventive care and report data on preventive care activities in the Croatian Family Medicine Service. More objective evidence is needed to see what GPs/FPs actually do in practice. For this reason, it is critical that GPs/FPs systematically record the most relevant preventive and health promotion activities that they perform. Furthermore, their performance of the preventive program should be regularly monitored, evaluated and professionally and financially validated. We present the preventive program based on these principles in Family Medicine Service proposed by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Working Group on Reform of Primary Health Care.
authors.affiliation: 'Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Working Group on Reform of Primary Health Care, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Milica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katić
authors.forename: Vesna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Juresa
authors.forename: Biserka
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bergman-Marković
authors.forename: Drazen
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jurković
authors.forename: Sanja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Predavec
authors.forename: Marija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hrastinski
authors.forename: Marijan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balen
authors.forename: Dragomir
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Petric
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mazzi
authors.forename: Hrvoje
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tiljak
authors.forename: Rudika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gmajnić
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Diminić-Lisica
authors.forename: Rajka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Simunović
authors.forename: Aleksandar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jovanović
authors.forename: Hrvoje
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vuković
authors.forename: Gordana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Prljević
authors.forename: Ranko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stevanović
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017523:Croatia; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010819:Physician's Role; D010821:Physicians, Family; D011314:Preventive Health Services; D055815:Young Adult