ABSTRACT
Primary care has been defined as "the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and the community" (Institute of Medicine, [IOM] 1996). A noteworthy feature of this and previous definitions of primary care is that primary care is defined in terms of characteristics of the care itself, rather than in terms of characteristics of the clinicians who provide it (e.g., generalist, specialist, physician, nurse practitioner) or the setting in which it is provided.
