Opportunistic health promotion and disease prevention is defined as “an advice made more effective by being directly linked to the content of the preceding consultation”. For example, advice to stop smoking is proportionately more powerful when it is linked to an episode of acute bronchitis or first presentation of angina. The classic model by Scott and Davis highlights the opportunities for health promotion in each consultation. Every consultation is an opportunity to detect early-warning signs that prevent illness and disease.
Sensible, timely and appropriate interventions can help make people aware of the potential risks they are taking. Health promotion is not simply risk avoidance, rather than active encouragement of individuals to attain their best possible level of well being. The consultation has been described as the ‘central act of medicine’ and its potential involves a…
