Strong Primary Health Care in the United States – Closer Than We Might Think

Article Figures & Data

Table 1.

Differences between Primary Care and Primary Health Care

Definition	Source
Primary Care
High-quality primary care is the provision of whole-person, integrated, accessible, and equitable health care by interprofessional teams that are accountable for addressing the majority of an individual’s health and wellness needs across settings and through sustained relationships with patients, families, and communities.	National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: Rebuilding the Foundation of Health Care. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.³
Primary Health Care
Primary Health Care is a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to health that combines three core components: multisectoral policy and action; empowered people and communities; and primary care and essential public health functions as the core of integrated health services.	Primary health care measurement framework and indicators: monitoring health systems through a primary health care lens. Geneva: World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2022.⁴