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

Rice360 celebrates expansion of newborn health program in Tanzania

Rice University President Reginald DesRoches joined Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies Co-Director Maria Oden and Rice360 supporters on a trip to Africa this summer marking significant milestones on the road to ending preventable newborn deaths in the sub-Saharan region.

25 Jul 2024

Noninvasive home test significantly cuts colorectal cancer mortality

A noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test that can be done at home could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer death by 33%, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.

25 Jul 2024

Study reveals moderate burden of post-COVID conditions in primary care

The post-COVID-19 conditions (PCC) or long COVID prevalence among United States (US) adults infected with SARS-CoV-2.

25 Jul 2024

Opioid use disorder medications underused after injection-related infections

Deaths from injection-related infections like endocarditis have increased among young people, likely due to the growth of injection drug use and stronger, shorter-acting fentanyl.

24 Jul 2024

Proteomic signatures enhance risk prediction for both common and rare diseases

Researchers have developed sparse prediction models combining plasma proteins and clinical data to predict the 10-year risk of 218 diseases. The study, involving over 41,000 participants, highlights the enhanced predictive power of proteomic signatures.

24 Jul 2024

World-famous wall drug isn’t immune from challenges facing rural pharmacies

Stacey Schulz parks in a rear lot to avoid the crowded Main Street entrances to her local pharmacy.

24 Jul 2024

Evaluation and treatment of early Lyme disease

Every year in the United States, an estimated 476,000 people are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease. The estimate comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

23 Jul 2024

Higher Brain Care Score associated with lower risk of late-life depression

Late-life depression, typically defined as depression with onset in individuals over 60 years of age, can affect up to a third or more of people older than 60 and can be debilitating.

23 Jul 2024

Socioeconomic factors impact stroke surgery outcomes in coal-mining areas

Research presented today at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery's (SNIS) 21st Annual Meeting highlights the role of socioeconomic variables and their role in successful recovery after stroke surgery, specifically the impact of living in a coal-mining county.

22 Jul 2024

Study offers insights into factors affecting longitudinal continuity of care in English general practices

Longitudinal continuity of care is the repeated contact between an individual and the same general practitioner (GP).

22 Jul 2024

Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative yields fewer emergency department visits

The Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative was a four-year nationwide program aimed at improving outpatient health care quality.

22 Jul 2024

New national guidelines for anal cancer prevention in HIV patients based on UCSF research

New recommendations for screening and treatment are based on the results of a major national study led at UCSF.

19 Jul 2024

Pharmacists and community health workers lead successful hypertension interventions

When it comes to helping patients with high blood pressure get their hypertension under control, a new Tulane University study finds that pharmacists and community health workers have the best success rates.

19 Jul 2024

Extreme weather associated with higher rates of missed primary care appointments

Temperature extremes, becoming increasingly frequent due to growing global climate change, are associated with higher rates of missed primary care appointments, according to a recently published study from Drexel University researchers in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

18 Jul 2024

Study finds genetic counseling gaps among breast cancer survivors

As cancer treatment and survivorship care relies more on understanding the genetic make-up of an individual's tumor, a new study from the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center finds that many breast cancer survivors who meet criteria for genetic counseling and testing are not receiving it.

17 Jul 2024

AI tool can accurately draft responses to patients' EHR queries

As part of a nationwide trend that occurred during the pandemic, many more of NYU Langone Health's patients started using electronic health record (EHR) tools to ask their doctors questions, refill prescriptions, and review test results. Many of these digital inquiries arrived via a communications tool called In Basket, which is built into NYU Langone's EHR system, EPIC.

16 Jul 2024

Study analyzes lack of palliative care referrals for nursing home residents

Palliative care, specialized medical care focusing on providing relief from the symptoms -- including pain -- and the stress of serious illness, is underutilized in nursing homes, despite the large number of nursing home residents living with a serious illness such as cancer, dementia, Parkinson's disease, heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

16 Jul 2024