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If you’ve ever received a vaccination, been given help to stop smoking or undergone a screening for cancer, you’ve received something called preventive healthcare. As the name implies, preventive healthcare is designed to prevent you from getting serious illnesses.
In this article, we’ll explain a bit more about what preventive healthcare is and why it matters, plus how to find preventive healthcare services when you’re living overseas as an expat.
Preventive healthcare (also called preventative healthcare, prophylaxis or well-being) refers to a form of healthcare that aims to detect and treat illnesses and injuries before they develop into something more serious.
There are many benefits to preventive healthcare, both for patients and for healthcare services.
For patients, preventive healthcare can help make treatment more effective. Many diseases can be detected before they develop into something more serious, which can give doctors plenty of time to intervene and helps to ensure patient outcomes are more effective.
Since the purpose of preventive healthcare is to help stop people from getting sick, the outcomes greatly benefit patients’ lives. Preventive healthcare can lead to:
Preventive medicine is important in countries that provide national healthcare schemes as it can help reduce the burden that major diseases place on these systems. This can help to lower the cost of healthcare while improving patient outcomes and reducing mortality.
At a national and even global level, preventive healthcare can even contribute to an overall increase in GDP, bolstering the economies of entire countries and regions.
Among the many advantages of preventive healthcare to providers we find:
Preventive healthcare comes in many shapes and sizes. Technically, any form of healthcare intervention that is designed to reduce the risk of future illness or injury can be considered preventive healthcare.
You’ve probably encountered preventive healthcare several times in your life, though you might not have realised.
Examples of preventive healthcare include:
The lockdowns and quarantines seen around the world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were also examples of preventive healthcare.
Let’s look at some of the most common forms of preventive healthcare in more detail:
Vaccines and immunisations are perhaps the best-known form of preventive healthcare worldwide. Vaccines have helped to effectively eradicate certain forms of disease, while for other illnesses they greatly reduce the severity of the illness, thereby improving patient outcomes and reducing mortality.
Many of us saw the benefits of immunisations first-hand during the COVID-19 pandemic. With around 72% of the world’s population receiving at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, it became the fastest-ever distribution of a vaccine worldwide and is believed to have prevented around 19.8 million deaths in the first year after its roll-out.
As of 2025, the most common immunisation worldwide was for polio (86% of the world vaccinated). This was followed by the DTP3 vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (85%), hepatitis B (84%) and measles (84%).
Source: Statista (via WHO)
Many countries are also implementing a course of vaccinations for human papillomavirus (HPV), which is a cause of cervical (and other forms of) cancer. The NHS predicts that HPV vaccinations in the UK will help to prevent over 110,000 cases of cancer by 2058.
The HPV vaccine is proving immensely successful – among a sample of women aged 20–24 who received the vaccine at 12–13 years old, there were no recorded fatalities from cervical cancer, compared with 23:1 deaths recorded in previous generations.
Screenings are tests that are designed to spot specific risk factors that may contribute to disease. The goal is to detect these risk factors early enough for a doctor to begin treatment before the disease manifests. Screenings are typically performed on healthy people at certain stages during their life.
Screenings are common for people entering middle or old age (in fact, some are becoming common among people in their 30s), where they become susceptible to certain types of cancer, and during pregnancy, when screenings focus on the health of the foetus.
There are many common types of screening. The NHS in England performs upwards of 19 million individual screenings per year. The most common of these are cervical screenings (over 3 million per year), followed by bowel screenings (2.7 million), breast examinations (1.2 million) and eye screenings for diabetes (1 million).
Screenings may analyse many different types of samples. Blood tests, for example, may be used to check for cholesterol and thyroid functions. Stool screenings can help to identify the risk of colon cancer. And genetic tests can identify risk factors related to inherited diseases, including cancer.
Certain behaviours in life can increase our risk for developing certain diseases. Your healthcare provider may therefore work with you to control and mitigate these behaviours.
For example, eating a poor diet can lead to obesity, which can increase a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and even cancer. Therefore, a healthcare provider may work with a patient to help them eat a healthier diet and develop an exercise routine to prevent obesity. In some cases, a doctor may even offer medical intervention. A person who chronically over-eats may be offered gastric band surgery or a course of weight-loss drugs.
This could also be the case when a patient is a smoker, a drug user, drinks a problematic quantity of alcohol, has poor sleep hygiene, does not partake in regular exercise or exhibits symptoms of chronic stress.
Another area that healthcare practitioners are focused on is mental health. Healthcare providers are trying to reduce the causes of mental illness at a societal level to ensure a lower risk of depression and other mental illnesses. To use one example, the Campaign to End Loneliness reports that the risk of early death increases by up to 26% when a person experiences chronic loneliness – thus, healthcare providers may work with patients to help them build social connections and avoid this outcome.
Employers are also actively involved in this effort. In the US, more than 80% of employers now offer some form of employee assistance programme (EAP). This ensures staff have access to health and well-being resources, including mental health support, when they need them. However, despite the increasing number of employers providing EAPs, adoption remains low – only around 10–20% of employees make use of their resources. If you’re an employer, it’s up to you to make sure your employees take full advantage of the services available.
One area that is particularly important in the field of mental health support is stress. Stress is believed to contribute to over 100,000 deaths every year in the United States. As such, physicians are increasingly intervening in situations where they see patients under high stress, prescribing practices such as meditation and mindfulness to help them find balance in their lifestyles, and reduce their levels of cortisol – often called the ‘stress hormone’.
If your healthcare provider has decided that you may be at risk of developing an illness in the future, they may prescribe you certain medications to reduce the risk of that illness developing. This could mean treating the early causes of that disease, or suppressing mechanisms within your body (such as gene mutations) that can lead to diseases down the line.
For instance, if your doctor decides that you have an increased risk of heart disease or stroke, they may prescribe you blood thinners such as aspirin to help prevent the risk of blood clots. Or, if you have high blood pressure, your doctor may prescribe ACE inhibitors to treat your blood pressure, before it leads to anything worse.
Preventive medications are very common. In the United States, almost a third of adults over 40 take preventive medication.
A rarer form of preventive healthcare is surgery. This will often be with the intention of removing or changing a part of the body so that it can not cause harm in the future, especially if that body part has the likelihood to develop a disease.
One example is a bilateral mastectomy, meaning removal of the breasts. This has proven to reduce the risk of breast cancer by 95% and is especially crucial for women who express certain genes that are known to significantly increase the risk of breast cancer. The most common form of preventive surgery is appendectomy, or pre-emptive removal of the appendix in order to prevent appendicitis.
The purpose of preventive health and well-being is to stop you from becoming seriously ill in the future. We all need preventive healthcare to ensure the highest possible quality of life. However, there are certain times in your life when preventive healthcare may become more important to you.
Many illnesses have a genetic link. This means if one of your parents or grandparents had an illness, there is a chance that illness may ‘run in the family’, meaning you too could be at risk of inheriting it.
While it’s never guaranteed you will inherit an illness (and while not all diseases are caused by a genetic link), it’s important to seek preventive healthcare if you feel you may be at risk – either of inheriting the disease yourself, or passing it on to your children.
Some of the most common illnesses with a genetic link include:
While the majority of cancers (88%) are not caused by any genetic link, around one-eighth can be connected to a mutation in an inherited gene. Cancer screenings will often monitor these particular genes and look for changes and abnormalities. If you have a family history of cancer, it’s important to speak to a healthcare professional to understand your own risk.
Some of the genes most frequently associated with cancer include BRCA1 and BRCA2, which are linked to breast cancer; TP53, which mutates to cause Li-Fraumeni syndrome, increasing the risk of bone cancer and leukaemia; and PTEN, which mutates to cause Cowden syndrome in children, increasing their later risk of breast, thyroid, womb, bowel and kidney cancers.
Find out more about the genetic links to cancer from Cancer Research UK.
Over time, many of our day-to-day habits can increase our risk of developing a serious illness. If you have unhealthy habits, it’s best to speak to a healthcare provider sooner rather than later. They can help you to understand the long-term risks of these habits and may even be able to help you to stop.
Some of the unhealthy habits you may wish to pay attention to include:
As we age, the risk of developing certain illnesses increases. It’s therefore important to have regular check-ins with your healthcare provider. They may want to conduct screenings or physical examinations to check for early evidence of illness.
Some of the times in your life you may wish to consider visiting a healthcare provider include:
In countries with a national health system, your state healthcare provider may invite you to attend routine screenings or appointments. These are your opportunities to receive important consultations and should not be missed. If you receive private healthcare, you may need to organise these appointments yourself.
With access to your medical records, your primary healthcare practitioner will know when it’s time for you to:
If you are thinking about moving to another country, it’s your responsibility to ensure you bring your health records with you. Before moving, speak to your physician to obtain a copy of your health records, which you can then provide to your new physician abroad. You may also need these records when it comes to taking out a health insurance policy.
Of course, the big advantage of preventive healthcare is that it helps to prevent major illnesses developing down the line. Therefore, there is no need to wait until you get sick to go for tests or screenings. Even if you feel perfectly healthy today, it may be a good idea to speak to a doctor to understand if there is any risk of you developing a disease down the line.
When living overseas, it can be more difficult to seek and receive preventive healthcare. This is why it’s important to be proactive, and to go out in search of preventive healthcare, especially if you think you need it.
Whether you are preparing to move abroad or already living overseas, here are some of the steps you must take to ensure you have access to preventive healthcare:
If you have already been prescribed medication by a doctor in your home country, it’s important to make sure you will have enough of this medication when moving abroad. Remember, you may find it difficult to find your medication in a foreign country, especially if you need to renew your prescription with a foreign doctor first, or if the cost of your medication is significantly higher overseas.
Before moving abroad, speak to your doctor or pharmacist about receiving a bumper stock of your essential medication and remember that you may need to show a note from your doctor when transporting these medications across a foreign border.
Make sure one of the first things you do after arriving in your new home country is to sign up with a GP or family doctor. You will want to make sure your new doctor receives a copy of your medical history from your previous healthcare provider. This is important not only when it comes to booking routine appointments for yourself, but to ensure your new doctor knows if and when to invite you for screenings, tests and vaccinations. Make sure your new GP has a way to contact you, and that you attend any appointments you have been invited to.
If you are having trouble finding a GP or prefer a more convenient option, consider choosing a virtual GP or telemedicine service such as My Global Doctor.
Moving to a foreign country can take a toll on your health. This is especially true when it comes to adapting to a new culture and a new climate. You may find it more difficult to take regular exercise, or to eat a healthy diet.
The stress of adapting to a new life abroad may also take a toll on your mental health. As you settle into your new life abroad, you may find healthy routines become harder to maintain, making it easier to fall into unhealthy habits.
If you notice these changes, try to get back into healthy routines as soon as possible. Continue to be proactive about your health by making time for regular exercise and a balanced diet, and speak to your doctor if you have any concerns.
International health insurance is a must-have for expats, helping them access private healthcare while living abroad. Better still, your international health insurance policy may include benefits that help you to find preventive healthcare solutions. Remember, your health insurance provider is just as invested in helping you to stay healthy as you are!
As the old saying goes, prevention is the best cure. And whether you’re speaking to a doctor, a healthcare system administrator or even an insurance provider, all will surely agree.
Preventive healthcare has a huge range of benefits both to patients – who can expect to live longer, healthier lives – and healthcare providers, who get to see lower costs and improved patient outcomes.
Preventive healthcare is a part of the wider world of holistic health and well-being. While some forms of preventive healthcare focus on genetics and family history of illness, most preventive healthcare is associated with lifestyle. Therefore, the best thing you can do to practice preventive healthcare is to live a healthy lifestyle. That means having a healthy diet, plenty of exercise, and avoiding bad habits such as smoking and drinking.
The onus of seeking preventive healthcare often falls on you, the patient. Whether that means being proactive about seeking medical help, attending tests and screenings when you have the chance, or staying on top of your lifestyle, it’s important to take responsibility for your health.
There isn’t one. Preventive and preventative are both accepted spellings that describe healthcare designed to prevent illness and detect health conditions early.
Preventive is more commonly used in healthcare and medical literature.
Preventive healthcare is important at every stage of life. Children benefit from vaccinations and developmental checks, while adults may need routine health assessments, cancer screenings and lifestyle support.
The type of preventive care recommended changes with your age, medical history and personal risk factors.
No. Preventive healthcare can benefit everyone, including people living with long-term health conditions.
It can help detect complications early, support ongoing disease management and reduce the likelihood of more serious health problems developing.
There isn’t a single schedule that suits everyone. The frequency of health checks depends on factors such as your age, family history, lifestyle and existing medical conditions. A healthcare professional can recommend which screenings or check-ups are appropriate for you.
Preventive healthcare can help identify a wide range of conditions before symptoms appear, including:
Early detection often means more treatment options and better health outcomes.
Preventive healthcare aims to reduce the risk of illness or detect health problems before symptoms develop. Diagnostic healthcare investigates symptoms or signs of illness to identify the cause and determine appropriate treatment.
As a William Russell member, you’ll have access to Elevate: our curated selection of complimentary services included with all William Russell insurance policies.
Elevate helps you stay on top of your health, mind, well-being and safety when living abroad. Powered by a range of digital platforms, Elevate helps you to be proactive about your health.
Here’s what Elevate can offer you:
My Global Doctor lets you speak to a primary physician anywhere, anytime. As soon as you need to speak to a doctor, simply access the platform to book a consultation. My Global Doctor even offers prescription deliveries direct to your home in select countries.
Staying on top of your mental health can be a challenge when living abroad. Through TELUS Health Engage, you and other members named on your health policy can access up to 6 confidential counselling sessions – so when life gets on top of you, you’ll always have someone to talk to.
If you struggle to balance your general well-being, the TELUS Health Engage platform could help. Containing thousands of pieces of content, and with gamified challenges to keep you on track, you can easily track your overall well-being and build a healthier life.
Stay ahead of global threats with Solace Secure. Powered by global intelligence data, Solace Secure’s country monitoring and alert system helps you plan ahead and respond quickly to threats of violence, terrorism and natural disasters.
With Elevate, it’s easier than ever to be proactive about your health.
At William Russell, we’ve been insuring expats like you for over 30 years. We know how hard it can be to live a healthy lifestyle – especially when you’re living abroad. That’s why we offer international health insurance policies that help you to stay on top of your health, no matter where you are in the world.
Speak to us today to find out more about how international health insurance could benefit you and your family, and get a quote online in under two minutes.
Terms & conditions apply to our insurance products and services. You can find full details of what our plans cover (and what they don’t cover) in our plan agreements.
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