From the Guidelines
Primary care is defined in two main ways: as the type of care provided, which is comprehensive, continuous, and coordinated healthcare, and as the setting or level of care within the healthcare system, representing the first point of contact between patients and healthcare services. The first definition, as described by the World Health Organization, refers to primary care as "first-contact, accessible, continuous, comprehensive and coordinated person-focused care" 1. This definition emphasizes the importance of primary care in providing a wide range of services, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of common illnesses.
The second definition, as adopted by the American College of Physicians, views primary care as "the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community" 1. This definition highlights the role of primary care in providing a continuous and comprehensive approach to healthcare, with a focus on the patient's overall health and well-being.
Some key aspects of primary care include:
- First-contact accessibility, which creates an entry point for care and improves access to health services
- Continuity, which promotes the development of long-term personal relationships between a person and the health care team
- Comprehensiveness, which ensures that a diverse range of preventive, screening, diagnostic, treatment, rehabilitative, and palliative services are provided
- Coordination, which posits that primary care organizes services and care across levels of the health system and over time
- People-centeredness, which supports the belief and value that patients should have autonomy over their health decisions 1.
Primary care is typically delivered by professionals such as family physicians, general practitioners, internists, pediatricians, and sometimes nurse practitioners or physician assistants, who develop ongoing relationships with patients and coordinate care across different healthcare services 1.
From the Research
Definitions of Primary Care
There are two definitions of primary care, however only one study provides information related to the definition of primary care:
- The term primary care is widely used but not consistently defined or well understood 2
- No other definition is provided in the available studies, the other studies are related to other topics such as covid-19 treatments, chronic kidney disease, pulmonary hypertension and leukemia.
Key Points
- The study 2 discusses the importance of primary care and its functions, as well as international experiences with primary care.
- The study 2 also describes how the United States has deviated from the fuller realization of primary care and the steps needed to achieve primary care and health outcomes on a par with those of other developed countries.