primary care

American  

noun

1. medical care by a physician, or other healthcare professional, who is the patient's first contact with the healthcare system and who may recommend a specialist if necessary.

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Other Word Forms

• primary-care adjective

Etymology

Origin of primary care

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

His wife Karen, an NHS administrator in primary care, said she felt patients were being held to ransom, but added she sympathised with the resident doctors.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

When it comes to peptide injections generally, “the gap between the hype and the evidence is staggering,” Lucy McBride, a primary care doctor, recently wrote in her newsletter Are You Okay?

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

Fewer than half of people diagnosed with osteoarthritis are referred to exercise programs or physical therapy by their primary care provider.

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026

After that, clinic staff helped her find a primary care physician who could order the imaging test.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

We’ve had people come in saying they want to sue some specialist, and we’ll say, ‘We don’t think that doctor was negligent. We think it’s your primary care doctor who was at fault.’

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell