The role of primary care nurses in preventive medicine: a review of foreign and domestic practices (literature review)

Chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular pathologies, diabetes mellitus, oncological, and respiratory diseases, are closely related to behavioral risk factors, which makes prevention a key element of modern healthcare. Prevention at the primary health care level is recognized worldwide as a key tool for reducing morbidity and economic burden on health systems. The purpose of the study was to study the role of primary care nurses in the institutions of preventive care for the population in foreign countries and Russia. The search was carried out in domestic and international bibliographic databases eLIBRARY.RU, PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar for 2020–2025 by keywords: "the role of nurses in preventive care", "successful preventive practices under the guidance of nurses", "effectiveness of preventive care". Nurses play a key role in the implementation of prevention programs, including educational strategies, screening and early detection of diseases, health promotion and disease prevention, as well as interaction with other healthcare professionals. The international experience of managing preventive work has been studied. The features of preventive activities of nurses in the Russian Federation (RF), including the work of pre-medical reception rooms and Health Schools, are considered. The factors influencing the effectiveness of preventive work are analyzed: managerial conditions, staff training level, material and technical support. The prospects for the development of preventive medicine, including the use of modern technologies by nurses, are discussed. Nurses were concluded to have a significant potential in reducing the incidence of chronic pathologies and optimizing the healthcare system. The need for further improvement of the management of preventive work at the primary care level is emphasized.

Compliance with ethical standards. Compliance with ethical standards: the study was approved by the local ethics committee of the Research Institute for Healthcare Organization and Medical Management of Moscow Healthcare Department, Moscow, protocol dated 11.02.2025 No. 02-01/ЭК/2025.

Contribution of the authors:
Burkovskaya Yu.V. — concept and design of research, collection and processing of material, writing of text, compilation of a list of references, editing;
Gazheva A.V. — collecting and processing material, writing text, editing;
Sviridova T.B. — collecting and processing material, writing text.
All authors are responsible for approving the final version of the article and for ensuring the integrity of all parts of the article.

Funding. This article was prepared by the authors’ team within the framework of the research work "Scientific substantiation of approaches to transforming the activities of outpatient and polyclinic institutions subordinate to the Department of Health of the City of Moscow" (no. according to EGISU: 123032100061-9).

Conflict of interest. The authors declare the absence of obvious and potential conflicts of interest in connection with the publication of this article.

Received: April 1, 2025 / Accepted: June 24, 2025 / Published: September 12, 2025

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