Realising the Potential of Primary Health Care

The rapid spread of COVID-19 added urgency to the need to address long-standing pressures on health systems, linked to growing citizens' expectations, population ageing and more complex and costly health care needs. As the first point of contact, primary health care that provides comprehensive,...

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Bibliographic Details
Corporate Author: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Paris OECD Publishing 2020
Series:OECD Health Policy Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:
Collection: OECD Books and Papers - Collection details see MPG.ReNa
Description
Summary:The rapid spread of COVID-19 added urgency to the need to address long-standing pressures on health systems, linked to growing citizens' expectations, population ageing and more complex and costly health care needs. As the first point of contact, primary health care that provides comprehensive, continuous, and co-ordinated care is key to boosting preventive care, treating those who need care, and helping people become more active in managing their own health. It has the potential to improve health system efficiency and health outcomes for people across socio-economic levels, and make health systems people-centred. This report examines primary health care across OECD countries before the COVID-19 pandemic, and draws attention to how primary health care is not living up to its full potential. Doing things differently - through new models of organising services, better co-ordination among providers, better use of digital technology, and better use of resources and incentives - helps to improve care, reduce the need for hospitalisations, and mitigate health inequalities. This report identifies key policy challenges that OECD countries need to address to realise the full potential of primary health care, and reviews progress and innovations towards transforming primary health care
Physical Description:208 p. 21 x 28cm
ISBN:9789264746459
9789264561625
9789264933903