Authors: Richard R. Love.
45 years following the declaration of Alma-Ata that health care is a human right, delivering population-accessible, meaningfully high-quality primary health and health-creating care has occurred but rarely across the globe. The major issues central to impactful primary care systems for communities are known: creation of value-oriented networks of community health workers, virtual care providers, and ambulatory care specialists whose activities are integrated by wireless broadband technology and customized electronic medical record systems.
Within such optimal systems there are now four critical perspectives that must be addressed. First is the emerging paradigm for health that inflammation is a common biological pathway for multiple and interacting health conditions. This insight demands increased focus-deep medicine- on the identification of patient-specific causes and stressors producing low-level chronic inflammation. Second, is the need to more rigorously follow evidence-based medical data considering all critical metrics: efficacy, safety, efficiency, patient-centeredness, timeliness, and equity. Third, health systems must become more focused as learning centers. Finally, we must thoughtfully recognize and embrace the artificial intelligence revolution, and boldly define care implementation solutions for our commonest medical problems. Together with population-targeting systems, attention to these four subjects can lead to practicing more impactful medicine for communities.