Prevention Isn’t Optional — It’s the Core of General Practice
11 Dec 2025
Preventive healthcare has always been central to what GPs do, and its importance should never be downplayed. According to the 2025 RACGP Health of the Nation report, prevention continues to be one of the strongest pillars of primary care in Australia.
Despite this, a recent BMJ publication argued that, due to rising pressures on general practice, prevention should take a back seat. The authors suggested GPs should focus mainly on acute issues rather than spending time on preventive measures like cardiovascular risk management or prescribing statins.
The article caught attention quickly, especially within GP circles that normally engage in measured, evidence-based discussion. Many were left wondering: in a health system already burdened by expanding rates of chronic disease, can we really afford to step back from preventing illness? Should we abandon the role of stopping patients from falling ill and instead simply respond when they already have?
For public health–minded GPs, the answer is firmly no.
GPs are undoubtedly working under significant pressure—but walking away from prevention is not the solution. That view misunderstands both the role of prevention itself and the role of general practice in maintaining population health.
Primary care plays a critical role in preventive health, and evidence shows GPs consistently perform these tasks effectively. Patients with a regular GP demonstrate higher participation in preventive activities. General practice remains the main provider of childhood immunisation, cervical screening, and routine cardiovascular risk assessments. Behaviour change interventions delivered in primary care have long been proven to reduce smoking and support healthier lifestyles.
Much of prevention happens in moments of opportunity — the brief windows during a consultation where a GP can support a patient’s long-term wellbeing while also addressing their immediate concerns. A patient might attend for reflux, but a GP also recognises an opportunity to discuss weight, alcohol use, and other risk factors that shape future health. Another patient might request a repeat medication and casually mention an upcoming overseas trip — prompting essential travel vaccine advice.
These conversations and interventions happen because of trust built over time. Long-term GP–patient relationships make it possible to talk about behaviour change, risk, and wellbeing in a meaningful way.
The question, then, isn’t whether prevention belongs in general practice—it’s how we can implement it more effectively. Research already outlines strategies for embedding prevention more deeply and consistently within primary care. But this requires acknowledging the time, skills, and support systems involved, including better access to allied health services.
According to the Health of the Nation report, 99% of GPs are already providing preventive care, and most want to do more. This reinforces that prevention is not only inseparable from general practice—it is a defining strength of the profession.
After all, investing in prevention is far more effective and humane than waiting until people are already sick. It is far better to build a fence at the top of the cliff than to keep sending more ambulances to the bottom.
News Source: RACGP
