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primary care
noun
: health care provided by a medical professional (such as a general practitioner, pediatrician, or nurse) with whom a patient has initial contact and by whom the patient may be referred to a specialist
—often used before another noun
a primary care physician
called also primary health care
compare secondary care, tertiary careExamples of primary care in a Sentence
He provides primary care to inner-city patients.
Recent Examples on the Web
The facilities fall under the same state Department of Health Care Access and Information regulations as primary care clinics, though birth centers see healthy families, not sick ones, and don’t need hospital-grade ventilation, said midwife Caroline Cusenza.
—Ronnie Cohen, Sacramento Bee, 8 Jan. 2025
The primary care service is available at 9625 Northcross Center Court, Suite 201B, Huntersville.
—Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 8 Jan. 2025
In places like Finland, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S., nurses and other healthcare professionals play a bigger role in primary care, leading to fewer visits to doctors.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 7 Jan. 2025
Context: The program, founded in 2017, initially focused on educating primary care physicians — who may not have learned about addiction medicine during their training — on treatments for opioid use disorder, such as buprenorphine and methadone.
—Meira Gebel, Axios, 7 Jan. 2025
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Word History
First Known Use
1967, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near primary care
Cite this Entry
“Primary care.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primary%20care. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Medical Definition
primary care
noun
: health care provided by a medical professional (as a general practitioner or a pediatrician) with whom a patient has initial contact and by whom the patient may be referred to a specialist for further treatment
—often used attributively
primary care physicians
primary care practice
primary care medicine
called also primary health care
compare secondary care, tertiary careLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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