Role of Primary Health Care

Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Purposes of Primary Health Care............................................................................................................................................................... 2
Basic Services Commonly Provided by Primary Health Care................................................................................................................. 3
Benefits of Primary Health Care................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Issues in Providing Primary Health Care................................................................................................................................................... 3
Innovations in Primary Health Care........................................................................................................................................................... 4
Health Care Criteria for Performance Excellence.................................................................................................................................... 4
Factors determining basis for assessing healthcare needs................................................................................................................... 5
Five Stage Approach..................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Role of Primary Health Care

Introduction

Role of Primary
Healthcare

The role of primary health care is to serve as the first line of defense against illness and disease. "Primary health care plays a
central role in health care systems worldwide," states the Disease Control Priorities Project. "It can offer families cost-effective
services close to home, eliminating trips to specialists and hospitals."

Purposes of Primary Health Care

Some of the purposes of primary health care include: serving local communities; handling a wide range of basic health care
needs; allowing patients to be treated by the same primary care providers; coordinating basic care services with specialized
care whenever necessary; and providing health care services to poor and underserved groups that would otherwise lack access
to decent health care.

Role of Primary Health Care

Basic Services Commonly Provided by Primary Health Care
A basic primary health care list of services include: maternity and family planning; childhood immunizations and treatment for
childhood illnesses; and prevention, treatment, and control of diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria. Increasingly,
treatment for HIV/AIDS is becoming a part of basic primary health care in many countries.

Benefits of Primary Health Care

According to the Disease Control Priority Project, primary health care reduces disease by addressing the health care of children,
including prevention and treatment. It reduces the economic costs of ill health; assures medical coverage for poor people, a
group most in need of it; reduces the use of emergency and hospital visits; facilitates the control of routine illnesses; and
increases patient compliance and acceptance of medical treatments.

Issues in Providing Primary Health Care

Providing primary health care is a challenge in many countries. A lack of money, trained doctors, and too few drugs combined
with

poor

equipment

prevents

many

primary

health

care

systems

from

functioning

to

full

capability.

A "USA Today" article on August 8, 2010, discussed the shortage of primary doctors in America. It is estimated that about 65
3

Role of Primary Health Care

million people live in communities that have a shortage of primary care doctors. In part, it's because doctors who specialize
instead

of

providing

primary

care

make

lot

more

money.

In 2008, the American Association of Medical Colleges estimated a shortfall of 48,000 primary care doctors in the U.S. by 2025,
in part because the 2010 health care bill will provide medical coverage for an additional 35 million Americans who presently
lack health insurance.

Innovations in Primary Health Care

With so much demand for primary health care, the medical community is attempting to meet the need with a variety of
innovative programs. One such program in Portland, Oregon, charges patients a yearly flat fee for coverage. Another
community program on the East Coast schedules group appointments with 6 to 14 patients. And some medical schools offer
incentives for students to become primary care physicians.

Health Care Criteria for Performance Excellence

The requirements of the Health Care Criteria for Performance Excellence are embodied in seven categories, as follows:
1. Leadership
2. Strategic
3. Customer Focus
4

Role of Primary Health Care

4.
5.
6.
7.

Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management

Workforce Focus
Operations Focus
Results

Factors determining basis for assessing healthcare needs

Case load
Cost per Patient
Hidden Patients
Variability in case mix

Individual Basis
Light
High
Few
High

Population Basis
Heavy
Low
Many
Low

Role of Primary Health Care

Five Stage Approach

Stage 1:
Collect rotine
practice
information

Stage 2:
Collect
Hospital,
community
trust and
census data

Stage 3:
Gaining
public
involement

Stage 4:
Undertake
postal
survey

Stage 5:
Collation of
the
information
from the
different
sources

Role of Primary Health Care

basic, 2

Factors, 4

primary, 2

Providing, 3