Quaternary prevention in primary care: a necessity for the Brazilian Unified National Health System

In 2003, the World Organization of National Colleges, Academies, and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians (WONCA) proposed a concept (that had previously received relatively little discussion) aiming to protect patients from unnecessary medical interventions and to preven...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cadernos de saúde pública 2009-09, Vol.25 (9), p.2012-2020
Main Authors: Norman, Armando Henrique, Tesser, Charles Dalcanale
Format: Article
Language:Portuguese
Subjects:
Brazil
Family Health
Humans
Iatrogenic Disease - prevention & control
National Health Programs
Primary Health Care
Social Medicine
Unnecessary Procedures
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In 2003, the World Organization of National Colleges, Academies, and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians (WONCA) proposed a concept (that had previously received relatively little discussion) aiming to protect patients from unnecessary medical interventions and to prevent iatrogenicity: quaternary prevention. In times of intense social medicalization, particularly in Brazil due to the expansion of health care through the Family Health Strategy, iatrogenicity has become a highly relevant issue for both public health and the Unified National Health System (SUS). This article presents the concept of quaternary prevention and discusses and frames its relevance in light of three common situations in medical care with potentially iatrogenic results: excessive screening, complementary tests, and medicalization of risk factors. We propose the inclusion and discussion of this concept in the SUS, especially in primary care.
ISSN:1678-4464
DOI:10.1590/S0102-311X2009000900015