The Contribution of Family Medicine to Improving Health Systems

"This guidebook systematically analyses the contribution of family medicine to highquality primary health care in addressing the challenges faced by current health systems, and provides options for moving forward. It serves as a pragmatic guide to potential strategies for putting in place family care teams which effectively contribute to health sec

MICHAEL KIDD President, World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) Executive Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, Flinders University, Australia.

Foreword. Executive summary. Glossary. List of contributors. Chapter 1: Meeting people's health needs. Identifying people's current and evolving health needs. Responding to people's health needs. Meeting the challenges and convincing the leadership. Chapter 2: Improving health systems. Values of health systems. Goals of health systems. Functions of health systems. Trends affecting health service delivery. Challenges to optimal health service delivery. Meeting the challenges through primary health care. Strategies for implementing primary health care. Chapter 3: Family doctors in health systems. The nature of family medicine. Family doctors' contributions to health care. Family doctors as effective clinicians. Family doctors as health care coordinators. Family doctors as leaders, managers and supervisors. Chapter 4: Education and professional development. What is family medicine education and training? Why is family medicine education and training different? How should family medicine education and training be implemented? Family medicine teaching program. Transitioning from education to practice. Chapter 5: Creating a supportive environment for optimal family practice. Promoting positive relationships. Establishing professional organizations for family doctors. Financing primary health care services and family doctors. Improving access to primary care. Supporting primary care research. Enhancing quality of care and outcomes. Moving ahead. Chapter 6: Family medicine in lower- and upper-middle income countries. The Brazilian Unified Health System: primary health care in action. Promoting universal primary health services in China through general practice reforms. Family practice progress and prospects in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean. Family medicine and community orientation as a new approach of quality primary care in Thailand. Chapter 7: The African family physician: development of family medicine in Africa in the 21st century. Annexes. Acknowledgements. I