Access to primary care in Italy: time for a shake-up?

Excerpt

The combination of an aging population, the growing prevalence of patients with chronic conditions and advances in technology arouse renewed interest but also significant challenges for primary care (PC) [1]. Although a variety of definitions exist [2], PC can be considered ‘first-contact, continuous, comprehensive, and coordinated care’. Thus it is the pivotal level of a health care system, and potentially crucial. Broadly, PC includes a wide range of services such as general practice, home care, prevention, counseling and minor surgery, mid-way between hospital and community care. The next essential levels include secondary care (mainly specialist consultations), tertiary care (for unusual disorders) and emergency care (especially for serious trauma). All these further levels must be integrated with PC to provide rational, consistent care for patients [3]. …