Özet:

In this paper, we aim to share our experiences and observations made during the obligatory primary care internship at a Family Health Center and a Community Health Center. We noted our experiences in a systematic manner using the key characteristics of good primary care provision defined in World Health Organization Primary Care Evaluation Tool (access to the services, comprehensiveness, continuity and coordination of care). We also pointed out the importance of a medical education curriculum for Primary Health Care (PHC) focusing on the potential struggles of the new graduates. Eventually, we realized that PHC is an underestimated topic within medical education and stronger PHC in Turkey would greatly benefit the patients and the system. Demographic features of the district in which we have worked had both its unique advantages and disadvantages. We observed that most of the problems encountered during the provision of PHC in these centers were due to flawed coordination among primary and other level providers, suboptimal work environment and conditions including high number of patients per primary care physician, underestimation of certain preventive services such as family planning and a need for better health information systems. We believe that undergraduate training at PHC level should be emphasized and undertaken through an effective partnership between stakeholders.

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