[Negative effects of individual-based preventive interventions. 2008 SESPAS Report]

Area of Science:

• Preventive medicine and public health.
• Health services research.
• Medical ethics and policy.

Context:

• Preventive interventions are often assumed to be risk-free, leading to limited research on their adverse effects.
• The Spanish literature review reveals a focus on short-term screening effects, neglecting long-term consequences and broader negative impacts like medicalization.
• There is an uncritical expansion of preventive medicine, with continuous introduction of new screening tests and vaccines, raising concerns about the benefit-risk balance.

Purpose:

• To review the scarcity of research on negative effects of preventive interventions.
• To highlight the role of the medical profession and other stakeholders in the spread of preventive medicine.
• To advocate for a critical evaluation of the risk-benefit-cost of new preventive interventions.

Summary:

• Research on the negative effects of preventive interventions is limited, focusing mainly on short-term outcomes and overlooking long-term consequences and medicalization.
• The expansion of preventive medicine, driven by factors including the pharmaceutical industry and medical professionals, warrants a critical assessment of its true benefit-risk ratio.
• There is a need for scientific societies to debate their role, address conflicts of interest, and for health services to continually assess adverse effects of preventive measures.

Impact:

• Encourages a more critical approach to the adoption of new preventive interventions and screening tests.
• Promotes a re-evaluation of the role of the medical profession and other stakeholders in the promotion of preventive medicine.
• Advocates for the establishment of robust procedures for assessing the benefit-risk-cost of preventive interventions before their integration into health services.