In the expansive view of the PHHS division, emergency medicine can integrate with community and other healthcare settings to prevent the need for a future ED visit just as public health agencies and other healthcare providers can work to prevent the need for a future ED visit. 

• EDs already perform some prevention services such as tetanus immunizations. Other equally effective practices may one day also become standard of care.

• EDs are often the only source of prevention services for a highly vulnerable population without other health care access. Simply using the ED correlates with lack of some preventive services.

While there is no single accepted classification scheme, the PHHS divides its activities into these broad categories:

• Patient education, behavioral counseling, motivational interviewing

• Immunization

• Surveillance

• Screening/Testing

• “non-targeted screening”: screening all regardless of established risk, becomes “universal” if fully implemented

• “targeted screening”: screening individuals with higher than baseline risk before developing signs and symptoms

• “diagnostic testing”: testing individuals whose signs and symptoms indicate a disease process is part of the clinicians differential diagnosis

• Linkage to Care and Services

• Clinical operations and quality improvement

• Health Policy/System Innovation