primary care

noun

: health care provided by a medical professional (such as a general practitioner, pediatrician, or nurse) with whom a patient has initial contact and by whom the patient may be referred to a specialist

—often used before another noun

a primary care physician

called also primary health care

compare secondary care, tertiary care

Examples of primary care in a Sentence

He provides primary care to inner-city patients.

Recent Examples on the Web

Proposals range from Lula’s emphasis on strengthening primary care and the Mais Médicos program, which brings more doctors to remote areas of Brazil, to greater use of private health providers proposed by Bolsonaro and Zema. — Katie Angell Britannica Editors Oct. 2, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Oct. 2026

Your primary care provider can refer you to the right specialist. — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Health care workers are stretched so thin that Congolese people are struggling to find medical professionals for even routine primary care visits. — Amanda Erickson, STAT, 29 Sep. 2026

The measure would regulate federally qualified health centers, or private nonprofit health clinics that provide primary care to medically underserved areas and populations. — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for primary care

• concessionaire
• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare

Medical Definition

primary care

noun

: health care provided by a medical professional (as a general practitioner or a pediatrician) with whom a patient has initial contact and by whom the patient may be referred to a specialist for further treatment

—often used attributively

primary care physicians

primary care practice

primary care medicine

called also primary health care

compare secondary care, tertiary care