Primary Health Care, Prevention and Health Promotion
What the exam tests
This domain covers primary health care nursing in Kazakhstan: patronage, screening, immunization, chronic disease prevention, health education, and referral.
Core rules
- Primary care is the first point of contact: assess needs, provide evidence-based prevention, and coordinate referral.
- Use national screening and immunization schedules; verify eligibility and record results.
- Address major modifiable risks: tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, obesity, hypertension, and glucose intolerance.
- Use motivational interviewing: ask open questions, reflect, affirm, and support the patient’s own reasons for change. Avoid lectures.
- Patronage visits for pregnant women, newborns, and frail older adults should include danger-sign checks, home safety, and caregiver support.
- Document advice, referrals, and follow-up dates; arrange recall for abnormal results.
Worked example
A 52-year-old smoker has BP 150/95 mmHg at a screening. The nurse confirms the reading with a correct cuff, asks about symptoms and cardiovascular risk, and explains the result without blaming. She refers to the physician, offers brief cessation counselling, and schedules a follow-up. Reasoning: one high reading is not a diagnosis, but it requires confirmation and risk assessment. A lecture about smoking is less effective than exploring the patient’s readiness to quit.
Traps
Giving a diagnosis or starting treatment outside the nurse’s scope; screening without a system for follow-up; shaming patients about lifestyle; ignoring social barriers such as cost or transport; and recording “counselled” without the specific advice and response.