Primary Care

Primary care is the initial point of contact between a patient and the healthcare system that provides individuals with access to the information and resources they need for optimal health outcomes.

What is Primary Care?

Primary care is the initial point of contact between a patient and the healthcare system that provides individuals with access to the information and resources they need for optimal health outcomes.

Choosing a Primary Care Provider

Benefits of Primary Health Care

Strategies to Improve Shortage of Primary Health Care

Benefits of Primary Care Intervention

Multidisciplinary Primary Care Teams

Effective Communication in Primary Care Teams

Latest Primary Care News and Research

A nutrition screener developed for improving access to federal food benefits

Researchers from The Possibilities Project and Clinical Futures at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) developed, implemented and successfully tested a nutrition screener to improve access to healthy resources for families eligible for federally funded food benefits.

30 May 2024

Safety-net health clinics cut services and staff amid Medicaid ‘unwinding’

One of Montana's largest health clinics that serves people in poverty has cut back services and laid off workers.

30 May 2024

Decline in family physicians’ outpatient Medicare procedures amid aging demographic trends

Family physicians perform a wide range of procedures outside the hospital and tend to be office based. Examples may include surgical procedures such as excisions, suturing, and joint injections.

28 May 2024

SPLIT program: Stratified care for enhanced outcomes in low back pain management

Low back pain, or LBP, challenges health systems worldwide. To mitigate persistent disabling LBP, the implementation of a stratified approach in primary care has been suggested.

28 May 2024

The prediabetes paradox: Balancing early intervention and overdiagnosis

Prediabetes, a diagnosis intended to identify high-risk persons and prevent progression to diabetes, has been a topic of ongoing debate, and experts continue to disagree about its screening criteria, interpretation, and implications.

28 May 2024

Assessing the effects of COVID-19 on breast cancer screening rates

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the U.S. Early detection of the disease through screening can greatly improve the chances of successful treatment and is an essential preventive service in primary care.

28 May 2024

Understanding organizational factors in medical assistant staffing ratios

Medical assistants (MAs) are among the fastest growing occupations within the U.S. primary care workforce, and many practices have expanded the roles and caregiving responsibilities of primary care MAs.

28 May 2024

Implementing the Surgeon General’s guidelines to tackle loneliness in primary care

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 20% of adult primary care patients identified as lonely, representing a higher prevalence than many diseases commonly seen in primary care such as diabetes.

28 May 2024

Harnessing pharmacists' expertise to treat minor illnesses could save millions in health care costs

Greater use of pharmacists to treat minor illnesses could potentially save millions of dollars in health care costs, according to new research led by Washington State University.

28 May 2024

Study quantifies health and economic benefits of breastfeeding

Breastmilk can promote equitable child health and save healthcare costs by reducing childhood illnesses and healthcare utilization in the early years, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Tomi Ajetunmobi of the Glasgow Centre for Population Health, Scotland, and colleagues.

23 May 2024

New study maps out long COVID patterns in England, showing who is most at risk

A study of 19 million adults in England reveals demographic and clinical patterns of long COVID, highlighting higher rates among women, middle-aged adults, and those with comorbidities, with vaccination linked to lower incidence.

22 May 2024

New dentists may face NHS service requirement under new government plans

Newly-qualified dentists could be required to deliver NHS care for several years after they graduate under a government consultation being launched today.

22 May 2024

Closed Loop Medicine appoints Paul Johnson as Non-Executive Director

Closed Loop Medicine Ltd., a leading TechBio company developing combination prescription drug plus software therapy products that deliver personalized dose optimization, today announced the appointment of Paul Johnson as an Independent Non-Executive Director.

From Closed Loop Medicine 22 May 2024

More than 1 in 5 Canadians lack access to primary care, research finds

More than 1 in 5 adults in Canada did not have access to primary care, with large regional gaps in access, found new research in CMAJ.

21 May 2024

Hallucinations and nightmares could herald the onset of autoimmune diseases

An increase in nightmares and hallucinations – or 'daymares' – could herald the onset of autoimmune diseases such as lupus, say an international team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge and King's College London.

21 May 2024

Emerging crisis of homelessness among older adults in Canada

Homelessness doesn't only happen to young people but also affects older adults in growing numbers, write authors in an analysis in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) that describes this emerging crisis.

21 May 2024

Breakthrough study shows benefits of diagnosing hidden respiratory diseases

Finding and treating people with undiagnosed asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) improved their health and reduced their healthcare visits for respiratory symptoms in the year after diagnosis, according to a world-first clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

20 May 2024

Female gastroenterologists linked to lower post-consultation health care use

Patients seen by a female gastroenterologist for an initial consultation are less likely to use medical care in the emergency department, hospital or primary care office for two years after their visit when compared to patients initially seen by male gastroenterologists, according to a study to be presented at Digestive Disease Week 2024.

20 May 2024

Varenicline shows promise in first U.S. trial for e-cigarette cessation

The first U.S. trial of varenicline for e-cigarette cessation shows promising results and warrants larger-scale trials, the researchers say.

17 May 2024

The lure of specialty medicine pulls nurse practitioners from primary care

For many patients, seeing a nurse practitioner has become a routine part of primary care, in which these "NPs" often perform the same tasks that patients have relied on doctors for.

17 May 2024