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 care

Examples of primary care in a Sentence

He provides primary care to inner-city patients.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 See all Example Sentences for primary care 

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of primary care was in 1967

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 care
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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