System to Promote First Contact Through Primary Care Providers

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Primary Care
Country
World Health Organization
Publishing Organisation
World Health Organization (WHO): Primary health care measurement framework and indicators
Type of Quality Indicator
Process
IOM Quality Dimension
Effectiveness
Domain
Service Delivery and Care Planning

Defining Attributes

Definition

Governance and financing policies/mechanisms promote primary care providers as the first point of contact for most health needs. Those include: Gatekeeping mechanisms/Conditional access to specialist care and Financial incentives that promote primary care (e.g., removal of out-of-pocket payments and fee structures) as first point of contact. There are other measures in this framework such as: having a comprehensive essential package of services; be easily accessible; empanelment that promotes first contact accessibility. These are not included here as they are measured separately, but this indicator should be examined in that holistic context.

Numerator
Denominator
Exclusions
Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments

None

Stratifications

Collection and Reporting Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Surveys
Data Collection Methods

Qualitative assessment

Frequency of Data Collection
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
Reporting Methods
Reporting Frequency
Reporting Frequency in Days
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
No
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
02 December 2025