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

If fasting appeals to you, look for programs that include baseline and follow-up bloodwork rather than app-only protocols, and confirm your primary care doctor is in the loop. — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026

This should not become a contest between pediatric primary care and services for children with autism. — Nicolette Natale, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026

Also in Idaho, a primary care physician and his pharmacist wife made the opposite calculation. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026

These hotlines are a critically important innovation, allowing primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and OB-GYNs to receive real-time guidance from specialists, improving clinician confidence. — Meg Leduc, STAT, 23 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