Here are articles from our Prepared Patient feature series about getting preventive health care. These articles are based on interviews with experts and people around the country about some of their experiences getting immunizations, tests and screenings to prevent harmful disease.

In the right column, Prepared Patient 411 offers online, phone and community resources to assist you. And in Related Research, we share the most current scientific research in brief news stories.

We invite you to share your own experiences getting preventive health care. You can post a reply to any of our featured articles, blogs and news stories.

Roll Up Your Sleeve: Adult Vaccinations Yearly vaccinations aren't just for kids any more. You probably heard a lot about a seasonal or H1N1 flu shot last fall, but you should know that a battery of other adult vaccinations might also become part of your health care routine. Pneumonia and shingles vaccines are preventive-care essentials for older adults, and meningitis and tetanus shots are now college rites of passage. Even the vaccines of childhood-measles, mumps and rubella, and whooping cough-are recommended for adults who missed out in their younger years. READ MORE
Larger Patients: ISO Fewer Lectures, Better Health Care If you're a heavy person, you probably dread medical visits that seem to center on weight, regardless of whether you come in for an unrelated complaint or a routine screening. Even so, don't let that stop you from getting the health care you deserve. READ MORE
Check-Ups or Not? We've all heard about well-baby visits, but if you're a healthy adult, you probably have no plan to see a doctor. When there's nothing to complain about, many of us go years without a comprehensive medical check-up. READ MORE

 

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