SIG Quaternary Prevention & Overmedicalization - More is not always better

First national course of quaternary prevention in primary health care - Perú

On June 1st and 2nd, the Family and Community Medicine Society of Perú (SOPEMFYC) organized the First national Course on Quaternary Prevention (P4). Sponsored by the WONCA SIG on Quaternary Prevention and Overmedicalization, it was held in the city of Lima. Dr. Miguel Pizzanelli, family and community doctor (GP) in Uruguay and international leader, conducted four workshops and accompanied us throughout the event.

It was attended by several national speakers such as Víctor Manchego and Sofía Cuba, current president and past president of the Peruvian Society of Family and Community Medicine. They spoke on Screening and Overdiagnosis in Prostate Cancer and Quaternary Prevention in Women's Health, respectively.

A roundtable about experiences in research with quaternary focus was integrated by Dr. German Málaga (Internal Medicine Specialist) who gave a lecture on Quaternary Prevention in a hospital environment and Cinthya Vásquez Velásquez (Biologist researcher) presented her research results about the overdiagnosis of anaemia in children and pregnant women who are living at high altitudes. This activity is a clear example of how essential is to join efforts with different health professionals to carried out quaternary prevention perspective.

Thirty-one participants attended the event and 15 more in virtual mode. At the end of the event, the SOPEMFYC Quaternary Prevention working group was officially established. We assume the challenge of communicating through our social networks and propose activities to perform in our academic events like the Peruvian Congress of Family and Community Medicine to be held from November 29th to 1st December 2018.

Miguel Pizzanelli and
Rosa Villanueva
español