primary care research papers

Primary care research focuses on the everyday health challenges faced by communities, bridging the gap between specialized medical knowledge and the doctors who treat patients in local clinics. This field explores how to prevent illness, manage chronic conditions, and improve patient outcomes directly where people seek help. On Gist.Science, we make these vital studies easier to understand by breaking down complex findings into clear, actionable insights for everyone.

Every new preprint in this category comes directly from medRxiv, the leading repository for health sciences research. Our team processes each fresh submission to provide both a simple, plain-language overview and a detailed technical summary, ensuring you grasp the full context without getting lost in jargon. Below are the latest papers in primary care research, freshly summarized and ready for your review.

📄 primary care research

Determinants of Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute Respiratory Infections in Primary Care: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study at the Eduardo Mondlane University Health Center, Maputo, Mozambique

This retrospective cross-sectional study at Eduardo Mondlane University Health Center in Maputo reveals that antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory infections is driven primarily by clinical presentation rather than formal diagnosis or demographics, with a high overall prescribing rate of 69.4% that underscores the urgent need for context-specific antimicrobial stewardship interventions.

Charanga, L. J., Cuela, A. A.2026-09-17

📄 primary care research

A National Survey Exploring Dementia Diagnostics and Care Provisions in Primary Care in England

This national survey of English general practitioners reveals that while primary care is the frontline for dementia diagnosis, the anticipated introduction of new biomarkers and disease-modifying treatments faces significant barriers related to resource constraints, capacity, and training, necessitating a fundamental reimagining of care integration across primary, secondary, and social sectors.

Darby, A., Shaw, J., Cooper, C., Chemas, N., Marshall, C. R., Mukadam, N., Smith, K., Khan, R., Banerjee, S., Rait, G.2026-09-12

📄 primary care research

Workforce Cost Absorption among Community Health Promoters in Fragmented Maternal Nutrition and Social Protection Systems: A Qualitative Study Across Three Kenyan Settings

This qualitative study across three Kenyan settings reveals that Community Health Promoters act as an invisible safety net by absorbing the workforce costs and personal burdens required to bridge systemic gaps between fragmented maternal nutrition and social protection programs for vulnerable mothers.

SIVA, F. M., Nyatuka, D., de la Harpe, R.2026-09-01

📄 primary care research

Redressing long-term antidepressant use (RELEASE): Pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial in general practice

The RELEASE pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial demonstrated that inviting general practitioners to review long-term antidepressant users and providing shared decision-making resources with hyperbolic tapering guidance significantly increased cessation and dose reduction rates at 12 months compared to usual care, without causing adverse effects or symptom relapse.

Wallis, K. A., Donald, M., Horowitz, M., Zwar, N. A., WARE, R. S., Scott, I., Freeman, C., Cleetus, M., Thrift, K., McDo (…)2026-08-23

📄 primary care research

Perceived usability and usefulness of a clinical decision-support application among newly graduated physicians in rural areas: a mixed-methods study

This mixed-methods study found that while newly graduated physicians in rural areas perceive the BMJ Best Practice application as usable and useful for enhancing clinical confidence and decision-making, its practical impact is significantly constrained by local barriers such as limited connectivity, language issues, and the unavailability of recommended resources in their facilities.

De la Cruz-Torralva, K., Diaz-Sanchez, P., Escobar-Agreda, S., Rojas-Mezarina, L.2026-08-21

📄 primary care research

Modifiable service-delivery factors, not geography, drive patient satisfaction in rural Sierra Leone: a district-comparative cross-sectional household survey of 679 facility users

A cross-sectional survey of 679 health facility users across three rural districts in Sierra Leone reveals that modifiable service-delivery factors, particularly staff attitude, waiting times, and medicine availability, are the primary drivers of patient satisfaction, whereas geographic location and travel distance are not significant predictors.

Mayei, A., Schoenemann, Y., Siegert, N., Seidelmann, L., Molleh, B., Lakoh, S., Sankoh, O.2026-08-07

📄 primary care research

Effect of Enhanced Nutrition and Infection Management Intervention Packages on Antenatal Quality of Care Indicators in Rural Amhara, Ethiopia.

This pragmatic clinical study in rural Amhara, Ethiopia, demonstrates that implementing combined enhanced nutrition and infection management intervention packages significantly increases both the number of antenatal care contacts and the overall quality of care scores compared to routine care.

Fasil, N., Workneh, F. F., Yibeltal, K. F., Paladhi, U. R., Kang, Y., Kidane, W. T., Berhane, Y. Y., Van Dyk, F., North (…)2026-07-29

📄 primary care research

General Practice Perspectives on Post-Infection Conditions: Scoping Review and UK Survey

This study combines a scoping review of UK evidence and a practitioner survey to reveal that current general practice management of post-infection conditions is predominantly Long Covid-focused, lacks robust evidence for other conditions, and is characterized by diagnostic uncertainty, limited pathways, and low clinician confidence.

Aung, K. W., Scuffell, J., Podlasek, A., Engamba, S., Jones, F., Edwards, A., Chew-Graham, C. A., Sanyaolu, L., Busse-Mo (…)2026-07-17

📄 primary care research

The Rise of Brazil's Primary Care Digitalization: 12 Billion Records Across 27 Federative Units as a Foundation for Real-World Evidence and Scientific Democratization

This study characterizes Brazil's SISAB digital platform as a massive, 12-year longitudinal national data infrastructure containing over 12 billion primary care records, which serves as a strategic foundation for generating real-world evidence and democratizing health science for historically underrepresented populations while highlighting the need for continued investment in data quality and ethical governance.

Pereira, P. M., Girotto, A. N., Silva, G. M., Duregger, G.2026-07-04

📄 primary care research

Discontinuation of antihypertensive and lipid-lowering medication in primary care: a systematic review of observational data and sociodemographic differences

This systematic review of observational data reveals that discontinuation of antihypertensive and lipid-lowering medications in primary care is substantial and disproportionately affects specific sociodemographic groups, including younger and older patients, women (for statins), men (for antihypertensives in primary prevention), individuals with lower income, and minority ethnic groups, highlighting significant inequities that threaten cardiovascular health outcomes.

Parker, S. R., Natarajan, N., Bhanu, C., Schmidt, A. F., Chaturvedi, N., Eastwood, S. V.2026-06-26