Primary care
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Primary care is a term used for the activity of a health care provider who acts as a first point of consultation for all patients. Generally, primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, chiropractors, and physician assistants are based in the community, as opposed to the hospital. Alternative names for the field are "general practice" and "family medicine", although the terms are not synonymous.
General practitioners in the United Kingdom are physicians who have completed four to five years of post-medical school training including three to four years based in hospitals and one year attached to a training general practitioner in the community.
Family medicine in the United States is a physician specialty that requires a minimum of three years of residency training followed by board certification. This specialty is considered the traditional general medicine specialty in the U.S.
Examples of disorders managed in primary care are:
Primary care physicians mostly comprise family practice, internal medicine, and pediatrics physicians. Each of these fields is represented by separate residency programs that medical students enter upon completing their degree requirements.
[edit] See also
- Secondary care
- Tertiary care
- Quaternary care
- World Organization of Family Doctors (Wonca)
- International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC)
- Health care systems
[edit] External links
- Defining Primary Care from Institute of Medicine IOM - Primary Care: America's Health in a New Era (1996)
- Primary Care Definitions from American Academy of Family Physicians AAFP
- Definition of Primary Care from American Medical Association AMA
- Defining primary health care Department of Health United Kingdom UK
- What is primary health care? Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) Australia
- Primary Care Diabetes Journal
