Opinion: 11-country survey of primary care physicians shows where U.S. is lagging and keeping pace
Primary care is the backbone of any high-performing health care system. It works best when primary care providers sit at the center of a patients’ health care experience and are aware not only of their medical needs but also of their social needs: Do they have food, housing, heat, a way to get to their appointments?
Coordinating what can be a complex nexus of specialty care and social services for patients is a challenge that physicians the world over are grappling with. Our survey of more than 13,000 primary care physicians in 11 high-income countries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States), published Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs, shows where the U.S. is falling behind, where we are keeping pace and possible paths to improvement.
