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

SFHN clinicians support the use of telehealth services for outpatient primary care

As state and federal authorities decide whether to continue reimbursing for telehealth services that were suddenly adopted last spring in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a new study out of UC San Francisco has found that clinicians in the San Francisco Health Network (SFHN) overwhelmingly support using these services for outpatient primary care and specialty care visits.

7 May 2021

Advanced-stage kidney cancer more common in Hispanic and Native Americans in Arizona

Recently published research from the University of Arizona Health Sciences shows that advanced-stage kidney cancer is more common in Hispanic Americans and Native Americans than in non-Hispanic whites, and that both Hispanic Americans and Native Americans in Arizona have an increased risk of mortality from the disease.

6 May 2021

Regular consumption of sardines helps prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes

The health benefits of sardines and oily fish are widely known: their high levels of unsaturated fats help to regulate cholesterol levels and prevent the onset of cardiovascular diseases. However, the benefits don't end there.

6 May 2021

Telemedicine is a tool — not a replacement for your doctor’s touch

Earlier in the pandemic it was vital to see doctors over platforms like Zoom or FaceTime when in-person appointments posed risks of coronavirus exposure. Insurers were forced — often for the first time — to reimburse for all sorts of virtual medical visits and generally at the same price as in-person consultations.

6 May 2021

Many cancer patients are experiencing loneliness and social isolation during COVID-19 pandemic

Loneliness and social isolation, which can have negative effects on health and longevity, are being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of surveyed adults with cancer have been experiencing loneliness in recent months, according to a study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

6 May 2021

Spouse's history of heart disease may increase a person’s own cardiovascular risk

Individuals living with a spouse with heart disease were more than twice as likely to have heart disease themselves, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session.

5 May 2021

Heart disease risk factors emerge at a young age in Black women

Young Black women show a high prevalence of obesity, elevated blood pressure and other lifestyle-related factors that may put them on a trajectory to develop heart disease at a young age, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session.

5 May 2021

PAS 2021 Virtual Meeting to discuss intersectionality of child poverty

A state of the art plenary session during the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2021 Virtual Meeting will bring together national experts on child poverty, racism and racial inequities, immigrant health, Native American culture, and environmental threats to discuss the intersectionality of child poverty.

5 May 2021

A multipronged approach to mitigate childhood adversity and build resiliency

A hot topic symposia session during the Pediatric Academic Societies 2021 Virtual Meeting will discuss a multipronged approach to addressing childhood adversity and promoting resilience - at the clinical, systems, community and educational levels.

4 May 2021

A primary care physician for every American, science panel urges

The federal government must aggressively bolster primary care and connect more Americans with a dedicated source of care, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine warn in a major report that sounds the alarm about an endangered foundation of the U.S. health system.

4 May 2021

One in five older adults experienced worse mental health since the pandemic

Nearly one in five older adults say their mental health has gotten worse since the pandemic began in March 2020, and an equal percentage say their sleep has suffered in that time too.

4 May 2021

Rapid and sensitive SARS-CoV-2 detection from saliva using CRISPR

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server medRxiv by Edward Málaga Trillo et al. (April 29th, 2021), these methods are tested in combination with CRISPR-Cas detection in the field, demonstrating a sensitivity and specificity of 93.8% and 99%, respectively.

4 May 2021

CVS and Walgreens have wasted more vaccine doses than most states combined

Two national pharmacy chains that the federal government entrusted to inoculate people against Covid-19 account for the lion's share of wasted vaccine doses, according to government data obtained by KHN.

3 May 2021

Delayed antibiotic prescribing unlikely to lead to poorer symptom control

Delayed antibiotic prescribing is a safe and effective strategy for most patients with respiratory tract infections, finds an analysis of patient data published by The BMJ today.

30 Apr 2021

Study highlights significant gap in evidence related to effectiveness of portable air filters in reducing COVID-19

Considerable gap in evidence around whether portable air filters reduce the incidence of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

30 Apr 2021

Primary care practitioners overestimate disease risks leading to over-diagnosis and overtreatment

Primary care practitioners often over-estimate the likelihood of a patient having a medical condition based on reported symptoms and laboratory test results.

29 Apr 2021

Algorithm interprets data from electronic medical records to diagnose kidney disease

Diagnosing chronic kidney disease, which is often undetected until it causes irreversible damage, may soon become automated with a new algorithm that interprets data from electronic medical records.

29 Apr 2021

Can a gaze measurement app help spot potential signs of autism in toddlers?

Researchers at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, USA, used computational methods based on computer vision analysis and a smartphone or tablet to help detect early signs of ASD in toddlers.

28 Apr 2021

U-M study finds low HPV vaccination rate among young adult men in the U.S.

The COVID-19 vaccine isn't having any trouble attracting suitors. But there's another, older model that's been mostly ignored by the young men of America: the HPV vaccine.

27 Apr 2021

Pandemic imperiled non-English speakers more than others

In March 2020, just weeks into the Covid-19 pandemic, the incident command center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston was scrambling to understand this deadly new disease. It appeared to be killing more Black and brown patients than whites. For Latinos, there was an additional warning sign: language.

27 Apr 2021