Safer primary care

Primary care services are at the heart of health care in many countries. They provide an entry point into the health system and directly impact on people’s well-being and their use of other health and care resources. Unsafe or ineffective primary care may increase morbidity and preventable mortality, and may lead to the unnecessary use of scarce hospital and specialist resources. Thus, improving safety in primary care is essential when striving to achieve universal health coverage and the sustainability of health care. Safer primary care is fundamental to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly to those related to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at every age.

Implementing system changes and practices are crucial to improving safety at all levels of health care. Recognizing the paucity of accessible information on primary care, WHO set up a Safer Primary Care Expert Working Group. The Working Group reviewed the literature, prioritized areas needing further research and compiled a set of key learning monographs. WHO has published a Technical Series on Safer Primary Care to make the work of these distinguished experts available to everyone with an interest in safer primary care.