Primary care is the foundation of an optimal and efficient health system. It involves the provision of coordinated, integrated, and readily accessible healthcare services tailored to the needs of the majority of people.
The principles of primary health care (PHC) include prevention, wellness, and tackling of common ailments and diseases. And it presents multiple advantages. Here in this article, we will explore the various benefits of primary health care to support the argument that it is crucial to the overall health of a person. To learn more in detail, keep reading this guide till the end.
1. Enhancing Preventive Care
Basic health care like preventive measures occupies a central and essential place in primary health care. Issues such as the flu, fever, and many other sicknesses in the human body are checked during a routine check-up or when the individual is vaccinated or has taken his or her screening test.
Other features of PHC involve making primary care provider (PHCPs) suitable to tailor individual counseling on how to modify one’s way of life and reduce his/her vulnerability to diseases. Such a measure does not only serve the interest of a citizen directly by enhancing their health but also saves the health institution as a whole the costs of handling diseases and their complications.
2. Coordinating Comprehensive Care
Primary health care is at the center of coordinating all aspects of health care. This is a very important area of expertise because the providers have to focus on the patients’ multiple health needs at the same time. They also bear the responsibility of interfacing with other healthcare specialists whenever the need arises.
For instance, a general practitioner who practices primary health care may recommend a patient for oncology specialist services for cancer treatment but would still oversee other related needs of a patient. Such coordination makes it possible to have a holistic approach to patient care.
3. Improving Accessibility and Affordability
Primary health care enhances accessibility since the public can easily access health and medical services from the medical centers. These services are relatively cheaper than services that are offered by specialized skilled personnel thus making it easier for the larger population to access them.
Since primary health care is offered at the community level it helps to avoid costly second and third-tier treatments. This makes health care almost available to the population so that no one in the society is denied basic health care due to their poor economic status.
4. Promoting Continuity of Care
Primary health care has the advantage of also providing continuity of care. Since PHCPs build up long-term partnerships with patients, the clinics and other facilities provide more profound insight into a patient’s history.
It results in better patient care and increased satisfaction as different providers are aware of the patient’s medical history and previous treatment plans. It also develops trust relations between patients and clinicians wherein patients will run to seek healthcare services and consistently follow the regimes that have been set by the clinicians.