A community health nurse is developing strategies to prevent or improve mental health issues in the local area. In which situation is the nurse implementing a tertiary prevention strategy?

• A. Providing support programs for new patients
• B. Screening a client whose spouse recently died for suicide risk
• C. Teaching a client who has schizophrenia about medication interactions
• D. Discussing stress reduction techniques with employees at an industrial site

Answer: (C)

Understanding levels of prevention in community health helps explain why this scenario is a tertiary approach. Tertiary prevention focuses on reducing the impact of an established mental health condition and preventing complications or relapse, supporting rehabilitation and ongoing functioning.

Teaching a client who has schizophrenia about medication interactions fits this because schizophrenia is a chronic condition; educating the client about how medications interact helps prevent adverse effects, improve adherence, reduce relapse risk, and promote stable functioning over time.

The other scenarios align more with primary or secondary prevention: providing support programs for new patients aims to prevent deterioration before it starts or to aid early adjustment; screening for suicide risk is a secondary measure aimed at early detection; discussing stress reduction at an industrial site is a primary effort to prevent new mental health issues by reducing stressors.