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The European Journal of Health Economics
Published in: The European Journal of Health Economics 2/2016

01-03-2016 | Editorial

Access to primary care in Italy: time for a shake-up?

Authors: Livio Garattini, Alessandro Curto, Nick Freemantle

Published in: The European Journal of Health Economics | Issue 2/2016

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Excerpt

The combination of an aging population, the growing prevalence of patients with chronic conditions and advances in technology arouse renewed interest but also significant challenges for primary care (PC) [1]. Although a variety of definitions exist [2], PC can be considered ‘first-contact, continuous, comprehensive, and coordinated care’. Thus it is the pivotal level of a health care system, and potentially crucial. Broadly, PC includes a wide range of services such as general practice, home care, prevention, counseling and minor surgery, mid-way between hospital and community care. The next essential levels include secondary care (mainly specialist consultations), tertiary care (for unusual disorders) and emergency care (especially for serious trauma). All these further levels must be integrated with PC to provide rational, consistent care for patients [3]. …
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Metadata
Title
Access to primary care in Italy: time for a shake-up?
Authors
Livio Garattini
Alessandro Curto
Nick Freemantle
Publication date
01-03-2016
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
The European Journal of Health Economics / Issue 2/2016
Print ISSN: 1618-7598
Electronic ISSN: 1618-7601
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-015-0732-7

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