[Quaternary prevention as a basis for rational approach to the patient in family practice]

Quaternary prevention is an action taken to identify a patient at risk of overmedicalisation, to protect him from new medical invasion, and to suggest to him interventions which are ethically acceptable. It belongs mostly to family medicine because of the family physician's position who is the first contact to the patient and "leader" of patient through health care system. Family physician must have a skill to locate the patient's symptom to the proper organ system and also to find the appropriate procedure for the patient. This is very complex in a situation when the patient has symptoms and complaints and the physician doesn't find the disease. In these situations individual approach to the patient, good communication, balance between finding appropriate procedures and defining neccessary procedures together with evidence based medicine make quaternary prevention, which becomes a neccessity in the process of leading the patient through modern health care system.