Challenges in Primary Care Primary care is an important part of the healthcare system that helps to reduce complications and hospital admissions through prevention and early intervention. However, there are a number of challenges that are facing primary care that must be addressed to maintain the quality and benefits that primary care can provide. These challenges include, but are not limited to lack of choice, variable quality, reactive versus proactive decisions and physician shortages. Lack of Choice Each general practitioner has a particular way of working with patients and promoting their health, which is more compatible with some patients than

Choosing a Primary Care Provider A primary care provider (PCP) is usually the first point-of-entry for an individual into the health system and is responsible for assessing the health of patients and making the appropriate recommendations or referrals to promote health outcomes. There are several different types of PCPs, including a general practitioner, physician assistant and nurse practitioner. Additionally, each PCP has a unique method of caring for his or her patients. For these reasons, it is important that every patient thinks about what they need in a PCP and choose one that is able to help them maintain optimal

Benefits of Primary Care Intervention Primary care intervention refers to any instance in which a member of the primary health care team makes a change that may result in an effect on the health outcomes of a patient. In many cases, these interventions may seem insignificant at the time, and the effects of the intervention are often not perceived until a later date. However, the benefits of primary care interventions are clear, both for overall patient health outcomes and for reducing the financial strain on tertiary care interventions. Health promotion and prevention of disease Patients of all ages can benefit