Most deaths that occur in many health care settings are associates with chronic diseases or illness. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) points out that the conditions are preventable. Evidence-based services are of importance in helping to improve health since its role in identifying the risk factors associated with poor health outcomes comes in handy. The approach also helps in lowering the cost of the health care systems as well as that of the patients. Some of the preventive care services for these chronic diseases are; vaccinations against the disease, cancer screenings, regular checkups, health education, and counseling on issues like smoking cessation, and daily or routine screenings such as cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Prevention of diseases is important to the community since it helps people to live healthier lives and engage in their daily activities without any complications. The ethnic and racial minority communities also benefit from the standard prevention measures as they are more prone to chronic illnesses. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made it easier for people to access preventive care services by introducing and expanding health care insurance coverage to everyone (Simmons University, 2016).
Nurse Practitioners (NPs) can impact on the disease prevention, which traditionally was done by the primary care physicians. A big percentage of the NPS have skills and knowledge on how to offer primary care services which make them fit to offer preventive services. They are also equipped with holistic skills that are essential in providing care for patients, communities, and families. In the prevention and promotion of health, the nurse practitioners are involved by engaging and influencing the behavior of the patients by developing long-lasting relationships. The development of these relationships helps the nurses to empower and enlighten the patients on how to make better life choices and live a healthy lifestyle to prevent chronic diseases from occurring (Simmons University, 2016). The clinical settings of the NPs also play a significant role in expanding preventive care to the patients and the community at large. They work in various settings such as community health clinics and standalone or in-store urgent care clinics. Other clinical practice locations are worksite health centers, college campuses, and independent clinical practice environments.