Pritha Browning, M.D. Answers Questions On: Preventive Care

It's a broad scope of things. It includes getting annual exams done and doing routine cancer screenings, but for each patient it's going to be a little bit different.

That's part of the uniqueness of primary care: You get to really focus on each patient's individual risk factors, what their family history is, their health status when you first start seeing them, and how all of that contributes to what conditions they may be more predisposed to and what you need to watch out for.

Many people now rely on the internet to help diagnose themselves. Most people do this with the best of intentions, but they may not have the background to be able to spot not only what might be invalid but also how something may not apply to them.

I think people in general understand that the internet can’t replace a physician’s advice, but there's also a lot of misinformation out there, too.

Moderation in everything is generally the way to go. Also, find a physician you trust and feel comfortable with, whom you believe is guiding you with your best interests at heart. Most physicians are genuinely trying to be as helpful and honest as possible with their patients.