primary care
First-contact healthcare
Primary care is routine medical attention from a general practitioner rather than a specialist.
A primary care physician handles checkups, vaccinations, common illnesses, and referrals to specialists when needed.
The term distinguishes this first level of healthcare from specialized or emergency services: I need to find a new primary care doctor.
Identification of illness
- triageSeverity-based prioritization
- referralDirecting someone elsewhere
- consultationMeeting seeking expert guidance
- examinationMethodical assessment or review
medical history · symptoms · treatment plan · follow-up · prescription · physical exam · chief complaint · differential diagnosis
Primary care physician
- general practitionerPrimary care doctor
- GPInitials for primary physician
- internistDoctor of internal organs
- pediatricianPhysician for children
clinician · physician · nurse practitioner · physician assistant · healthcare provider · generalist · MD · PCP
Evaluative selection process
- vaccinationAdministered immunity booster
- immunizationProtective medical injection
- checkupRoutine health evaluation
- wellness visitPreventive medical appointment
health maintenance · early detection · risk assessment · cholesterol screening · blood pressure monitoring · cancer screening · mammogram · colonoscopy
diagnosis
Identification of illness
- triageSeverity-based prioritization
- referralDirecting someone elsewhere
- consultationMeeting seeking expert guidance
examination · medical history · symptoms · treatment plan · follow-up · prescription · physical exam · chief complaint · differential diagnosis · vital signs
family doctor
Primary care physician
- general practitionerPrimary care doctor
- GPInitials for primary physician
- internistDoctor of internal organs
pediatrician · clinician · physician · nurse practitioner · physician assistant · healthcare provider · generalist · MD · PCP · gatekeeper
screening
Evaluative selection process
- vaccinationAdministered immunity booster
- immunizationProtective medical injection
- checkupRoutine health evaluation
wellness visit · health maintenance · early detection · risk assessment · cholesterol screening · blood pressure monitoring · cancer screening · mammogram · colonoscopy · Pap smear
- VA HealthcareVA benefits, VA hospitals, veteran healthcare, veteran benefits, benefits enrollment
- healthcaredoctors, nurses, hospitals, hospital, clinic
- medicinedoctor, doctors, hospital, medicine, surgery
- wellnesshealthy, wellness, fitness, exercise, nutrition
- treatmentstreatment, treatments, medication, medicine, therapies
- NHSNHS, GP, A&E, 999, 111
primary carehospital care
Medical services for patients
acute care · inpatient care · intensive care · emergency care · critical care
care, prime, primary, primitive, primer, primarily, primal, primacy, primate