Medical overuse and quaternary prevention in primary care - A qualitative study with general practitioners.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Medical overuse is a topic of growing interest in health care systems and especially in primary care. It comprises both over investigation and overtreatment. Quaternary prevention strategies aim at protecting patients from unnecessary or harmful medicine. The objective of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of relevant aspects of medical overuse in primary care from the perspective of German general practitioners (GPs). We focused on the scope, consequences and drivers of medical overuse and strategies to reduce it (=quaternary prevention).

Methods

We used the qualitative Grounded Theory approach. Theoretical sampling was carried out to recruit GPs in Bavaria, Germany. We accessed the field of research through GPs with academic affiliation, recommendatio

SUBMITTER: Alber K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5721694 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature