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Medicine vocabulary · Hospital Departments and Staff

Primary care

Meaning in medicine, with examples

nounCommon term

In medicine, primary care means: The first point of contact with health services in the community, mainly general practitioners, practice nurses and community pharmacists.

In Turkish: birinci basamak sağlık hizmeti, birinci basamak, aile hekimliği

How it is used

Contrasted with secondary care (hospital specialists) and tertiary care (highly specialised centres). Doctors say a problem 'can be managed in primary care' or will be 'followed up in primary care'.

Example sentences

  1. Most patients with high blood pressure are managed in primary care.

  2. She works in primary care as a GP in a busy city practice.

Common collocations

  • in primary care
  • primary care physician
  • primary care services
  • managed in primary care
  • general practitionerA doctor based in the community who treats a wide range of everyday health problems, provides long-term care and refers patients to hospital specialists when needed.
  • referralThe act of sending a patient to another doctor, specialist team or service for an opinion, tests or treatment; also the letter or request that does this.
  • specialistA doctor who has trained for several more years in one area of medicine, such as cardiology, neurology or orthopaedics.
  • outpatientA patient who visits a hospital or clinic for an appointment, test or treatment without staying overnight; also used as an adjective for this kind of care.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Hospital Departments and Staff

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.