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

Effective Communication in Primary Care Teams

Benefits of Primary Care Intervention

Benefits of Primary Health Care

Multidisciplinary Primary Care Teams

Strategies to Improve Shortage of Primary Health Care

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Team Trump’s answer to ballooning Obamacare premiums: Less generous coverage

Trump administration officials, looking at the possible impact of large insurance premium increases for millions of next year's Obamacare customers, want more people to consider plans with less generous benefits and high deductibles.

17 Sep 2025

Projected surge in uninsured will strain local health systems

Jake Margo Jr. stood in the triage room at Starr County Memorial Hospital explaining why a person with persistent fever who could be treated with over-the-counter medication didn't need to be admitted to the emergency room.

17 Sep 2025

Common bladder infection may signal urogenital cancer risk

A bout of the common bladder infection, cystitis, may signal the presence of urogenital cancers-which affect parts of the body involved in reproduction and excretion-in middle aged adults, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Public Health.

17 Sep 2025

Integrated pediatric behavioral health care reduces symptoms in children

Research led by the Transforming and Expanding Access to Mental Health Care Universally in Pediatrics (TEAM UP) Scaling and Sustainability Center of Boston Medical Center (BMC) finds that children who receive behavioral health services delivered through the TEAM UP Model™ of integrated behavioral health care have fewer behavioral health symptoms.

16 Sep 2025

Lifestyle changes show promise in preventing cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease

An estimated 7.2 million Americans over age 65 currently live with Alzheimer's disease (AD). That number is expected to nearly double to 13.8 million by 2060.

16 Sep 2025

Researchers develop a digital cognitive test for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed a digital cognitive test for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease that is intended for use in primary care.

15 Sep 2025

Why are more older people dying after falls?

For a while, walking the dog felt hazardous. Earl Vickers was accustomed to taking Molly, his shepherd-boxer-something-else mix, for strolls on the beach or around his neighborhood in Seaside, California. A few years ago, though, he started to experience problems staying upright.

15 Sep 2025

New care program aims to improve cancer treatment access for Indigenous patients

Researchers from the University of Oklahoma Health Campus have published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine describing a novel care coordination and communication program and its potential for helping Indigenous people access the lifesaving cancer care that they need.

11 Sep 2025

Simple support tools improve blood pressure management in hypertensive patients

For some patients struggling to control high blood pressure, something as simple as having blood pressure monitors at home and texted reminders to use them could be the key to stabilizing or even lowering their blood pressures, according to a new study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

9 Sep 2025

High consumption of ultra-processed foods increases a sensitive marker of inflammation

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrially altered products – like soda, snacks and processed meats – packed with additives and stripped of nutrients.

9 Sep 2025

Popular weight-loss medications raise pregnancy safety concerns for women

Women taking popular weight-loss medications during their reproductive years may be unaware of associated risks to pregnancy and unborn babies, warn Flinders University researchers.

8 Sep 2025

Common diabetes drug metformin cuts long covid risk by 64 percent in UK study

A large UK-based retrospective cohort study found that initiating metformin within 90 days of COVID-19 diagnosis reduced the risk of Long COVID by 64% in overweight and obese adults. The findings suggest metformin may offer a low-cost preventive option pending confirmation from randomized trials.

8 Sep 2025

AI voice agents helped improve accuracy of blood pressure measurements in older adults

Artificial intelligence (AI) voice agents helped older adults with high blood pressure to accurately report their blood pressure readings and improved blood pressure management, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2025.

8 Sep 2025

WHO expands essential medicines lists with new cancer and diabetes treatments

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released updated editions of its Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) and Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc), adding new treatments for various types of cancer and for diabetes with associated comorbidities such as obesity.

5 Sep 2025

Tirzepatide roll out reaches less than half of England’s GP practices

Less than half of England has access to tirzepatide (Mounjaro) through their GP, despite the NHS roll-out of the weight-loss jab officially starting over two months ago, an investigation by The BMJ has found.

5 Sep 2025

Trump administration investigates Medicaid spending on immigrants in blue states

The Trump administration is taking its immigration crackdown to the health care safety net, launching Medicaid spending probes in at least six Democratic-led states that provide comprehensive health coverage to poor and disabled immigrants living in the U.S. without permanent legal status.

5 Sep 2025

Many pharmacies still do not stock buprenorphine despite eased prescribing rules

Faced with a worsening drug crisis, policymakers in recent years have made it much easier for doctors to prescribe the highly effective opioid addiction treatment buprenorphine.

2 Sep 2025

Faster progression to severe diabetes observed in people with learning disabilities

People with learning disabilities progress faster to severe type 2 diabetes and are at greater risk of dying from their condition than people without these disabilities, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Control.

2 Sep 2025

Global mental health crisis demands urgent investment and action

More than 1 billion people are living with mental health disorders, according to new data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), with conditions such as anxiety and depression inflicting immense human and economic tolls.

2 Sep 2025

When hospitals and insurers fight, patients get caught in the middle

Amy Frank said it took 17 hours on the phone over nearly three weeks, bouncing between her insurer and her local hospital system, to make sure her plan would cover her husband's post-surgery care.

2 Sep 2025