A school health nurse is conducting drug screening to detect drug use by students before serious problems develop.
Which of the following levels of prevention does this action represent?

Choice A rationale

Tertiary prevention involves strategies aimed at managing and improving outcomes of existing health conditions, such as assessing and supporting survivors of trauma like post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Choice B rationale

Policy development is not a level of prevention; it involves creating frameworks to promote public health interventions rather than focusing on individual care.

Choice C rationale

Primary prevention focuses on preventing the occurrence of disease or trauma through measures like immunizations or lifestyle changes before health issues arise.

Choice D rationale

Secondary prevention entails early detection and intervention for diseases or conditions to prevent progression, such as screening tests.

Choice A rationale

Bacterial gastroenteritis typically presents with abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. While dehydration can lead to symptoms such as dizziness and fatigue, it does not usually cause acute difficulty concentrating or intense thirst without prolonged illness. This condition is more localized to the gastrointestinal system rather than systemic toxicity as seen in pesticide poisoning.

Choice B rationale

Viral illness can lead to nonspecific symptoms like fatigue, headache, and dizziness, but it usually follows a pattern of fever or respiratory symptoms. The acute onset and combination of symptoms such as intense thirst and difficulty concentrating are not characteristic of viral infections. These symptoms suggest a toxic exposure rather than an infectious etiology.

Choice C rationale

Pesticide poisoning often manifests acutely with systemic symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, vomiting, intense thirst, headache, and difficulty concentrating. These occur due to cholinergic overstimulation or chemical toxicity. Pesticides can affect multiple organ systems and cause central nervous system effects, which align with the symptoms described in the patient.

Choice D rationale

Appendicitis is characterized by localized abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever. It does not cause systemic effects such as intense thirst, dizziness, headache, or difficulty concentrating. The symptoms described are more indicative of systemic toxicity rather than localized inflammation.