primary care

noun

1. medical care by a physician, or other healthcare professional, who is the patient's first contact with the healthcare system and who may recommend a specialist if necessary.

Other Words From

• primary-care adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of primary care¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Largely due to stigma and the failure to educate physicians, many primary care physicians view the treatment of addiction as outside their scope of practice.

From Salon

“It’s not like finding another primary care provider or orthopedic surgeon, and this is an exceedingly difficult task for someone who is mentally ill to accomplish,” Mark said.

From Salon

This is the first large-scale, randomized trial to test the impact of standardized autism screening on early detection of autism in pediatric primary care.

From Science Daily

My first primary care doctor said I didn’t have enough of a family history to need genetic testing, but I found a way around it.

From Salon

There are around 80 physician associates working in Northern Ireland health trusts and in primary care.

From BBC