Quaternary prevention practices and self-medication in two hospital centers in Chiclayo (Perú)

Durand R.B.C.; Vega H.I.A.; Sotomayor D.Á.C.; Pérez M.S.P. · Salud Uninorte (2024) · DOI: 10.14482/sun.40.03.551.631

Resumen

Objective: To identify evidence of quaternary prevention practices in health professionals, and to know the level of self-medication of patients, in two hospital centers of Chiclayo, Peru, in 2021. Materials and methods: A descriptive, prospective, and cross-sectional study was carried out, with information obtained from the Covid-19 Disposal Centers of Almanzor Aguinaga Asenjo National Hospital and Las Mercedes Regional Teaching Hospital, having applied a questionnaire on self-medication to a sample of 277 patients, represented by 144 female and 133 male participants; as well as a scale corresponding to quaternary prevention applied to 84 health professionals, with a validity and reliability of 0.83 and 0.79, respectively, according to Cronbach’s Alpha test. Results: 92.9% of health professionals do not practice quaternary prevention in their workplace, and 35% of them show a performance far removed from that purpose. On the other hand, more than 60% of patients report taking medications without a prescription and without following the dose and frequency recommended by health professionals. Conclusions: It is essential to educate health personnel in quaternary prevention so that medical procedures are fully justified and ethically responsible. In addition, in the face of recurring cases of self-medication, it is crucial to apply rigorous control measures, sanctioning the social actors involved, and proposing a surveillance system.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; Universidad Nacional de Trujillo; Universidad de San Martín de Porres; Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal; Universidad César Vallejo