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The overall objective of this project is to use research methods to describe different primary care models in Europe, assess their quality in different dimensions – particularly access, equity and satisfaction - and determine their cost. We will analyse variations of both quality and cost as they apply to specific organisational models in Europe, and will study the possible trade-offs between quality and costs in each model. Key research challenges will be the following: (i) to apply an innovative approach to identify and describe European primary care models, (ii) to develop and pilot a methodology to study relevant healthcare costs at macro and micro-level, and (iii) to combine surveys addressing perceptions of public and health professionals along with a review of clinical data to assess quality. The results of the project will develop, test and apply a valid framework for trans-national comparisons of quality atributes and costs with which to facilitate decision making concerning primary care models, the behaviour and delivery of primary care services. This framework will be an asset for those countries aiming at putting primary care at the centre of their healthcare model in terms of its quality, and in perspective with the total costs of healthcare provision and with the state of primary care in Europe. In summary, the core aim of the consortium is to inform policy decisions on primary care, giving explicit evidence of what measures can crucially be used to improve the overall quality of health systems, emphasizing their equity, evidence base, social cohesion, and sustainability as the values underlying the design of primary care models and its provision to European citizens. |
