Changing Europe

Download or read book Building Primary Care in a Changing Europe written by Dionne S. Kringos and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For many citizens primary health care is the first point of contact with their health care system, where most of their health needs are satisfied but also acting as the gate to the rest of the system. In that respect primary care plays a crucial role in how patients value health systems as responsive to their needs and expectations. This volume analyses the way how primary are is organized and delivered across European countries, looking at governance, financing and workforce aspects and the breadth of the service profiles. It describes wide national variations in terms of accessibility, continuity and coordination. Relating these differences to health system outcomes the authors suggest some priority areas for reducing the gap between the ideal and current realities.