key: cord-0862087-ef3y4561
authors: Jamoulle, Marc
title: A Comment on “Quaternary Prevention in Public Health” by Dr. Jong-Myon Bae
date: 2016-03-31
journal: J Prev Med Public Health
DOI: 10.3961/jpmph.16.031
sha: 3e107cc95d4428962d4fc859f24b87bf0b8433e5
doc_id: 862087
cord_uid: ef3y4561

nan

The recent paper of Dr. Jong-Myon Bae, "Quaternary Prevention and Public Health" [1] , in your journal has attracted my interest. The spread of this concept is beyond all expectation, and I am quite happy that the paper contributes to analytic thinking about the complexity of health care.

This particular application of the quaternary prevention (QP) concept is brilliant. Nevertheless, I would propose some slight modifications to Table 1 suggested by Dr. Bae, which I have taken the liberty to reproduce here with the due authorization of Dr. Bae after several rounds of correspondence with him.

The QP concept was born in Belgium in 1986. Leavell and Clark's preventive medicine framework did not mention QP [2] . In fact, the QP concept started to diffuse at the World Organization of Family Doctors (Wonca) congress in Hong Kong in 1995. Therefore, I have added a red line to the table to distinguish the origin of each concept in the framework. 

Implementation of quaternary prevention in the Korean healthcare system: lessons from the 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus outbreak in the Republic of Korea

Computer and computerisation in general practice. Namur: Presses Universitaire de Namur

Wonca International Classification Committee. Quaternary prevention

Natural history of syphilis and levels of prevention

Strategic management and organisational dynamics: the challenge of complexity

Complexity science: the challenge of complexity in health care

Disease mongering and the fear of pandemic influenza

The author has no conflicts of interest with associated the material presented in this paper.