Abstract:

Quaternary prevention involves identifying patients who are at risk of over-medicalization and protecting patients from unnecessary medical intervention. In fact, patients are currently at risk of unnecessary over-diagnosis and over-treatment as technology progresses and the use of health-care services grows. Over-medicalization is described as medical treatments that have not been validated in terms of patient benefits, are potentially detrimental, and so incur unnecessary expenses. These have a negative social, psychological, and economic impact on patients, while also increasing dissatisfaction and the financial burden on the health-care system. Given the potential for long-term harm from medical interventions, the concept of quaternary prevention and over-medicalization is significant in this particular setting. Patients' engagement in decision-making and shared decision-making, building a trustworthy patient-physician relationship, expanding primary health care services, and regulating the referral system are all crucial to minimizing over-medicalization and providing quaternary prevention.

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