Objective:

To identify evidence of quaternary prevention practices in health professionals, and to know the level of self-medication of patients, in two hospital centers of Chiclayo, Peru, in 2021.

Materials and methods:

A descriptive, prospective, and cross-sectional study was carried out, with information obtained from the Covid-19 Disposal Centers of Almanzor Aguinaga Asenjo National Hospital and Las Mercedes Regional Teaching Hospital, having applied a questionnaire on self-medication to a sample of 277 patients, represented by 144 female and 133 male participants; as well as a scale corresponding to quaternary prevention applied to 84 health professionals, with a validity and reliability of 0.83 and 0.79, respectively, according to Cronbach's Alpha test.

Results:

92.9% of health professionals do not practice quaternary prevention in their workplace, and 35% of them show a performance far removed from that purpose. On the other hand, more than 60% of patients report taking medications without a prescription and without following the dose and frequency recommended by health professionals.

Conclusions:

It is essential to educate health personnel in quaternary prevention so that medical procedures are fully justified and ethically responsible. In addition, in the face of recurring cases of self-medication, it is crucial to apply rigorous control measures, sanctioning the social actors involved, and proposing a surveillance system.

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