Primary Health Care

1
Primary Health Care

• Registered nurses know that fundamental change
  can only be achieved by focusing on health
  promotion in its broadest sense diminish
  poverty and homelessness foster healthy schools
  improve literacy provide affordable housing
  support the growth and development of families
  and children and youth ensure an adequate income
  to enable people to live with dignity and support
  themselves and ensure a safe and clean
  environment.
• (RNAO President, Adeline Falk-Rafael, letter to
  Globe and Mail 2004)

2
Definition

• Primary Health Care (PHC) with its vision for
  health for all was defined as both
• an approach as well as a level of care
• health is a right,
• Identify and analyze determinants of health root
  causes must be addressed as opposed to symptoms
• stressed the need for community involvement and
  requires an intersectoral approach.

3
Causes/Determinants

• the causes of poor health are not diseases in
  themselves,but a combination of prevailing
• socio-economic conditions,
• political
• structures and ideologies
• the environment.

4
Primary Health Care Why?

• a conceptual framework for planning a more
  balanced health care system
• a system of health care based on
• the needs of a given population,
• a balance between hospital and community care,
• between medical/professional led care and
• the effort to create environments that sustain
  health.
• It has meant a move away from hospital based
  care.

5
Primary Health Care contd

• reorientation of the approach to health itself
• a system that acknowledged health in dealing with
  the health of a community
• a combination had to be made between curative
  care and preventative care with a serious
  recognition of the social determinants of health

6
Fundamental elements ofPrimary Health Care (PHC)

• Universally accessible health care
• Community participation
• Equity and social justice
• Affordable and appropriate services
• Integral to social and economic development
• Inclusion of prevention, promotion and curative
  care
• Inter and multi-sectoral collaboration
• 1997 Alma Alta Declaration

7
Health Promotion

• Increases the level of well being and self
  actualization

8
Disease Prevention

• Decreases the probability of experiencing health
  problems

9
Levels of Prevention

• Primary prevention screening or protection of
  disease before the occurence of signs and
  symptoms
• Secondary Prevention risk is known by client
  and these activities that promote early detection
  so that prompt treatment can halt or decrease
  disease progression
• Tertiary Prevention activities that minimize
  the residual disability from the disease and help
  the person live a productive life

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CANADA HEALTH ACT ( 1984)

• 1. Public Administration
• 2. Comprehensiveness
• 3. Universality
• 4. Portability
• 5. Accessibility

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Public Administration - defined

• Non profit basis
• Administered by a public authority
• Responsible to the provincial government
• Subject to audit for accounts and finances

12
Comprehensiveness - defined

• All necessary hospital, physician, health care
  team expenses are covered

13
Portability - defined

• Coverage is maintained when an insured person
  moves or travels within Canada or travels outside
  Canada

14
Accessibility - defined

• Insured residents have reasonable access to
  medically necessary hospital or physician
  services regardless of age, health status, gender
  or geographic location

15
Universality - defined

• Every permanent resident of a province or
  territory receives health services as provided
  by the plan on uniform terms and conditions

16
Example of these features

• Vacation and injury in another province
• Hospitalization away from home for urgent care
• Everyone in the family receives care related to
  the accident regardless of gender, age, health
  status
• Records of care are sent to OHIP for and
  tracking of medical care received by all
• OHIP covers the cost of ambulance ride when you
  are transferred to care facility in Ontario

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References

• Ross-Kerr Wood Chapter One
• http//www.hc-sc.gc.ca
• The Canada Health Act sets conditions for
  funding. The right to health care is not
  guaranteed under this legislation.