Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
Primary care is that level of a health services system that provides entry into the system for all new needs and problems, provides person-focused (not disease-oriented) care over time, provides care for all but very uncommon or unusual conditions, and coordinates or integrates care wherever and by who provides it. It is the means by which the two main goals of a health services system, optimization and equity of health status, are approached.
For further reading:
Starfield, Barbara. Primary Care: Concept, Evaluation, and Policy. New York, Oxford University Press, 1992.
Starfield, Barbara, Parrino T, Headley E, Ashton C. Primary Care in the VA. Boston , Mass.: Management Decision and Research Center; Washington, D.C.: VA Health Services Research and Development Service, 1995.
Starfield B, Cassady C, Nanda J, Forrest C, Berk R. Consumer Experiences and Provider Perceptions of the Quality of Primary Care: Implications for Managed Care. Journal of Family Practice 1997; [in press]
Starfield, Barbara. The Future of Primary Care in a Managed Care Era. International Journal of Health Services 1997:(accepted)
Starfield, Barbara. A Framework for Primary Care Research. Journal of Family Practice 1996; 42(2):181-185.
Starfield, Barbara. Primary Care: Is It Essential? Lancet 1994; 344:1129-1133.
Starfield, Barbara. Primary Care. Journal of Ambulatory Care Management 1993; 16(4):27-37.
Starfield, Barbara. Primary Care and Health: A Cross-National Comparison. Journal of the American Medical Association 1991; 266(15):2268-2271.
Starfield, Barbara: Primary Care in The United States. International Journal of Health Services 1986; 16:179-198.