What is the difference between preventive services and diagnostic services?

• A. Preventive services are for asymptomatic individuals to prevent disease or detect early; diagnostic services evaluate symptoms or abnormal findings.
• B. Preventive services are only for those with symptoms; diagnostic services are for healthy individuals.
• C. Diagnostic services aim to prevent disease; preventive services diagnose diseases.
• D. Preventive services always require imaging; diagnostic services never.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is the purpose and the situation in which the service is used. Preventive services are done in people who do not have symptoms, with the aim of preventing disease or finding it early before symptoms develop. This includes routine screenings, vaccines, and risk-reduction counseling. Diagnostic services, on the other hand, are used when there are symptoms or when a screening test result is abnormal, with the goal of identifying the cause and guiding treatment.

So, a statement that preventive services are for people without symptoms to prevent disease or detect it early, while diagnostic services evaluate symptoms or abnormal findings, lines up with how these services are used in practice. The other ideas misstate who should receive preventive care, or what diagnostic care is for, or imply imaging is required for prevention, which isn’t the case.