Primary Care: Concept, Evaluation, and Policy. - book reviews

Journal of Family Practice, March, 1993 by Peter Franks

Dr Starfield provides a comprehensive background and analysis of many aspects of primary care as it relates to policy. Her book is valuable and unique, filling an important gap in the medical literature. Having its genesis in a course taught at Johns Hopkins University, the book is logically arranged. It begins with an outline of the concept and history of primary care. An extended analysis of the components of primary care follows, and the third part offers a comprehensive analysis of the policy implications in the United States and elsewhere. A research agenda is given at the end of the book.

Throughout, the text is well written and extensively referenced, making it a valuable resource for scholars. Although it deals with several topics that are of direct clinical relevance such as referrals and physician-patient interactions, the practicing clinician will not find much that is of immediate practical clinical use. Its usefulness will be chiefly for clinicians and researchers interested in how primary care fits into health care policy. Given the renewed interest in health care reform, reform that will almost certainly entail a larger role for primary care, the arrival of this book is timely and should contribute to a more informed debate on the potential role of primary care in the health care system.