Table 1.

Criteria for defining primary care, according to Starfield [8].

Aspect of primary care	Main elements of each aspect of care
1. First-contact care	▪ Easy access (geographically and opening hours) ▪ Accessibility and utilisation by defined patient population
2. Coordination of care	▪ Scheduling arranged to allow patients to see the same primary care provider each visit ▪ Continuity of medical records ▪ 'Problem recognition' - follow up on status of previously identified problems at subsequent visits
3. Comprehensiveness	▪ Range of care services provided ▪ Services provided made explicit to the patient population ▪ Practitioners recognise a broad spectrum of needs within their patients
4. Longitudinality	▪ Patients identify the practice facility as their regular/main source of care over a period of time