As patients enter the healthcare system, primary care is typically their first stop. Because of this, primary care clinicians have a unique opportunity to develop relationships with patients and communities. This also enables them to get a glimpse of the hardships that a particular patient or group of patients is dealing with and see how that can affect their overall well-being. As the healthcare system, and primary care in particular, shifts away from a transactional system, to one more focused on high quality, comprehensive care, these outside factors that often play a significant role in patients’ lives must be accounted for.
The CDC defines health disparities as preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. It defines the social determinants of health as conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play. While several of these factors or locations fall out of the traditional sphere of primary care, a well-organized and coordinated primary care team should have the resources to help patients beyond their medical needs.
Title | Date | Source | |
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Access & Equity in Medicaid:Robust Primary Care is a Must | August 2023 | ||
A Roadmap for Patient and Family Engagement in Healthcare | October 2015 | American Institute for Research, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation | |
A Primary Care–Public Health Partnership Addressing Homelessness, Serious Mental Illness, and Health Disparities | May 2013 | Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine | |
A Close Look at PTSD Among Aging Adults | May 2019 | A Close Look at PTSD Among Aging Adults | |
2014 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report | May 2015 | Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality | |
2013 National Healthcare Disparities Report | May 2014 | Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality | |
2012 National Healthcare Disparities Report | May 2013 | Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality | |
2011 National Healthcare Disparities Report | March 2012 | Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality |