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Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) involves various initiatives aimed at improving the quality, accessibility, and effectiveness of primary healthcare services across the country and is focused on strengthening the primary healthcare system to provide comprehensive, accessible, and patient-centered care to all citizens, ultimately contributing to improved health outcomes and wellbeing. Enhancing primary health care is crucial because it focuses on preventive measures, early detection, and treatment of illnesses, which ultimately leads to better health outcomes, reduced healthcare costs, and improved overall well-being for individuals and communities.
In the past, Qassim's primary healthcare system has been based on a combination of public and private healthcare providers. Primary healthcare services typically include preventive care, health education, treatment for common illnesses and injuries, and referrals to specialized care when needed.
These centers are often the first point of contact for individuals seeking healthcare services. They are staffed by general practitioners, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who provide a range of basic medical services.
The Saudi government has placed significant emphasis on expanding and improving primary healthcare services to ensure accessibility and quality of care for all citizens. Efforts have included building new healthcare facilities, increasing the number of healthcare professionals, and implementing technology to enhance healthcare delivery and patient management.
Since 2020 , adopt Team based care system which involves healthcare professionals from different disciplines working collaboratively to provide comprehensive and coordinated care to patients., team-based care has become increasingly important as a way to improve the quality, accessibility, and efficiency of healthcare services.
Also in 2020 numbers of urgent primary health cares centers across the Qassim provinces start to activate to offer several benefits, including:
1.Accessibility: Urgent care clinics within PHCs provide easily accessible healthcare services to patients in their local communities. They are often conveniently located and have extended hours, including evenings and weekends, making it easier for patients to seek care when they need it.
2.Timely Care: Urgent care clinics offer prompt medical attention for non-life-threatening conditions that require immediate attention but are not severe enough to warrant a visit to the emergency room. This timely care can help prevent conditions from worsening and reduce unnecessary visits to emergency departments.
3.Cost-Effectiveness: Visiting an urgent care clinic within a PHC is generally more cost-effective than going to an emergency room for non-emergency medical issues. This can help reduce healthcare costs for patients and the healthcare system as a whole.
4.Relief of Primary Care Burden: By providing urgent care services within PHCs, primary care physicians can focus on managing chronic conditions, preventive care, and routine check-ups. This helps alleviate the burden on primary care providers and ensures that patients with urgent medical needs receive timely attention.
5.Continuity of Care: Urgent care clinics within PHCs are often integrated with primary care services, allowing for seamless coordination of care. Patients who visit urgent care clinics can have their medical records easily transferred to their primary care provider for follow-up care, ensuring continuity of care and comprehensive management of their health.
6.Preventive Care Opportunities: While treating urgent medical issues, healthcare providers in PHC urgent care clinics can also identify opportunities for preventive care, such as vaccinations, screenings, and health education. This proactive approach to healthcare can help improve overall population health and prevent future medical emergencies.
Enhanced Primary Care Services are mapped with models of care. The following are the List of Services aligned with the Models of Care:
Wellness Care Services:
Essential Services
Health Coach Service- This service will empower individuals and communities to optimize their health and wellness by the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, early detection, and management of health conditions.
Health Promotion Service - This service will organize community activities designed to raise awareness, induce behavior change, improve quality of life and health outcomes for individuals and populations.
Physical Fitness Screening- This service will Provide health and physical fitness assessment according to different needs following the related regulations and guidelines.
Breast Cancer Screening- This service will provide screening women for breast cancer according to the clinical guidelines.
Colon Cancer Screening- This service will provide screening individuals for colon cancer according to the clinical guidelines..
Vaccinations- This service will provide the required and optional vaccinations according to national recommendation & regulations and guidelines.
School Health- This service will provide health assessment and medical care (curative and preventive) for students through organized collaboration with schools, and provide a clear referral process to PHC if a student needs any curative care.
Pediatric Wellness- Provide care to the pediatric age group between the phase after well baby clinic and before adolescence including the preventive and curative care.
Essential Plus Services
Adolescent Medicine- This service will provide care to the adolescent according to the recommendations and guidelines,
Dental Care- These services will enhance oral health including prevention and treatment.
Occupational Health- A service that dedicated to essentially preventive functions and responsible for advising employers, workers and their representatives at the enterprise on the requirements for establishing and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment.
Planned Care Services:
Essential Services
Regular Consultations- This service will be for general needs with prior booking for non urgent conditions, for example, acne, hair loss, obesity, fatigue....etc).
Post-Op Care- This service is given after being discharged from the hospital at PHC. Which aimed at meeting the patient's physical and psychological needs directly after surgery.
Essential Plus Services
Pre-op Care- Services and care given before surgery when physical and psychological preparations are made for the operation.
Planned Minor Procedure- Minor surgical and clinical procedure which can safely and comfortably be performed on a patient at the primary health care according to the regulations, privileges and best practices. Example (joint injections, skin procedures.etc).
Services related to Rural Considerations- A service that provides a special care tailored toward specific communities as per their needs e.g. Dengue fever, Leishmania, Giardiasis.
Specialized care (Medicine, Derma, Ophthalmology, podiatrist, etc.)- ls a specialty services that are needed to integrate the care in the PHC such as, ophthalmologist for diabetic patient retinopathy screening, pain management clinic for chronic osteoarthritis, low back pain .... etc.
Rehabilitation (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy)-
Safe Birth:
Essential Services:
Preconception and Counseling Care- The service will involve further education on lifestyle, nutrition and pregnancy expectations, any required counseling on genetic disorders and infectious diseases, family planning advice and further assessment of physical and family history, immunization, complications with past pregnancies, domestic violence, mental health and psychological screening.
Maternity Care- This service encompasses monitoring maternal and fetal comorbidities, pregnancy risk assessment, as well as delivery and ongoing neonatal and obstetric medical care.
Postnatal Care- Mothers and children will have access to standardized postnatal care services. This includes contraception counseling, breastfeeding education, wounds checkup based on mode of delivery and maternal risk factors and maternal assessment for common postpartum complications (e.g., postpartum depression and blues). This program will be supported by clear guidelines and referral criteria between providers.
Well Baby Care- Well baby clinics play a major role in supporting parents in raising healthy children till age 5 years by providing vaccination, screening services, psychological support, child safety, nutrition education, as well as mentoring growth and development.
Essential Plus Services:
Premarital Screening and Counseling Care- A service will be provided to both women and men which will include a risk assessment. The risk assessment will screen potential partners for common inherited and infectious diseases, as well as other potential complications with pregnancy and birth, e.g. comorbidities and lifestyle choices. The outcome of this assessment will determine where a potential mother will receive preconception care.
Urgent Care Services
Essential Services:
Walk- ln Clinic- ls a clinic that accept the walk-in services that should be provided in all PHC in a well-organized manner.
Essential Plus Services:
Urgent Care Clinic- ls a walk-in clinic focused on the delivery of medical care for minor illnesses and injuries in an ambulatory medical facility outside of a traditional hospital-based.
Chronic Care Services
Essential Services:
Chronic Disease Screening
Chronic Medical Care
Chronic Disease Education-
Coordination Care- This service will involve continuing care services (community based services, and home care services), primary care, secondary care services, and tertiary care services, across the public and private healthcare sectors.
Essential Plus Services:
Psychotherapy- Services will include actions that address both psychological and social needs of individuals, families and communities.
Social Support
Nutrition Care
Home Health Care- People will have access to enhanced care in the comfort of their home. Services will cover a wide variety of chronic, planned, palliative and postnatal needs.
Geriatric Care
Support Group- This service aims to enhance the principle of community empowerment and involve community members with chronic diseases or their families with health care providers to share their experiences to improve their physical and psychological health, and social wellbeing.
Palliative Care Services
Essential Plus Services:
Patient and Family Support
Determine the need for tools, devices, equipment, infrastructure and resources to activate services.
Follow up and raising the need for phcs in terms of tools,devices,equipment and resources to activate services and initiatives.
· Equipment.
· Devices.
· Human resources.
· team based care.
· Good infrastructure.
