Knowra Primary care Primary care Primary care is first-contact, continuous healthcare that addresses common health needs and coordinates treatment across services. It includes prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing support.
Continuity of care : Consistent healthcare over time, often involving sustained relationships between patients and clinicians. Ongoing relationships help primary care clinicians recognize changes and tailor care over repeated visits.
Family medicine : A medical specialty providing comprehensive care across ages, conditions, and stages of life. Family physicians are a central source of primary care in many health systems.
Universal health coverage : A goal in which everyone can obtain needed health services without financial hardship. Strong primary care is a common foundation for broad, equitable access to health services.
Secondary care : Specialist healthcare generally accessed after referral from a first-contact clinician or service. It handles needs that primary care cannot manage alone, often following a referral.
Care coordination : The deliberate organization of healthcare activities and information across providers and services. Primary care often connects specialist, hospital, and community services into a coherent plan.
General practice : Community-based medical practice that provides broad, first-contact care, especially in the United Kingdom and related systems. General practice is a common organizational form of primary care.
Health equity : The absence of unfair and avoidable differences in health among groups of people. Primary care access and quality can reduce or reinforce health disparities.
Tertiary care : Highly specialized healthcare for complex or uncommon conditions, often delivered at referral centers. Its narrow expertise contrasts with primary care’s broad scope and first-contact role.
Gatekeeping in healthcare : A system in which a designated clinician or service controls access to some further healthcare. Some systems use primary care clinicians to direct referrals and specialist access.
Nurse practitioner : An advanced practice nurse who can assess patients, diagnose conditions, and provide treatment within local rules. Nurse practitioners expand primary care capacity and may serve as first-contact clinicians.
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