Prevención cuaternaria. Intervenciones médicas innecesarias en atención primaria: un estudio cualitativo con médicos familiares

Objective

Aims to understand the meaning of family doctors regarding unnecessary medical interventions in a Social Security Health Institution.

Design

Qualitative study.

Location

Primary health-care.

Participants

Twenty-seven family doctors (66.60% women and 33.3% men) assigned to a Social Security Health Institution of Quintana Roo, México.

Metodology

This study starts from the qualitative approach, under the interpretive paradigm of symbolic interactionism with the grounded theory method and through the in-depth interview technique. The interviews were recorded and transcribed and the data analysis was carried out with the Atlas ti program, using open and axial coding.

Results

The findings reveal that family doctors are aware of and have been in situations that are linked to an unnecessary practice, even without classifying it from the perspective of quaternary prevention.

Conclusions

A new need of greater dissemination and training on the elements that make it up to develop a professional practice oriented towards the premise “first do not harm” is reinforced.