Knowledge, attitude, and practice of family physicians about quaternary prevention and related factors in Southeastern Iran: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Quaternary prevention is a new concept of prevention whose main objective is to prevent harms that unnecessary medical services can cause to patients. Family physicians, as gatekeepers of the healthcare system, are responsible for providing continuous care to the population and play a crucial role in detecting and reducing unnecessary services and excessive use of medical resources. This study was conducted to examine the knowledge, attitude, and practice of family physicians regarding quaternary prevention. In this cross-sectional study, 162 family physicians working in Kerman province in southeastern Iran were surveyed. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed electronically, and its questions consisted of 3 sections: knowledge with 15 questions, attitude with 13 questions, and practice with 7 questions. The mean of the knowledge, attitude, and practice scores of the participants were 10.52 ± 2.63, 50.51 ± 5.47, and 29.34 ± 3.42, respectively. There was no significant correlation between the two sexes in the knowledge, attitude, and practice scores of physicians. The results of this study showed that physicians' practice scores were significantly correlated with age and work experience. Quaternary prevention is a new concept in health care, and while many family physicians acknowledge the importance of quaternary prevention, a lack of knowledge and education in this area is still prevalent. Family physicians play an important role in implementing quaternary prevention. They can provide appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic services through effective communication with clients and prevent patients from visiting multiple physicians and receiving unnecessary services.