📄 Category

primary care research

25 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

"Isn't social prescribing what social workers have been doing forever"?: UK social worker perspectives on social prescribing and professional boundaries

A 2022 UK study of social workers reveals that while they view social prescribing as a valuable resource for addressing low-level needs, they simultaneously express significant concerns regarding contested professional boundaries and the potential for the initiative to encroach upon or undermine the complexity of social work practice.

White, C., Price, E., Walker, L., Bell, J., Revell, L.2026-04-27
📄 primary care research

Knowledge, Awareness, and Prescribing Practices Regarding Sugar-Free Paediatric Liquid Medicines Among Healthcare Professionals in Uttarakhand: A Cross-Sectional Study

This cross-sectional study of 431 healthcare professionals in Uttarakhand reveals that while awareness of sugar-free paediatric liquid medicines is high, critical gaps exist in recognizing their link to dental caries and providing oral health advice, with prescribing practices hindered by concerns over cost, palatability, and availability.

Jha, K., Chaudhry, K. K., Khanduri, N.2026-04-22
📄 primary care research

Pre-chronic kidney disease -- Serial creatinine tracks glomerular filtration rate decline above 60 mL/min

This paper proposes that monitoring serial serum creatinine levels relative to an individual's historical maximum is a more reliable and practical method than estimated GFR equations for detecting early glomerular filtration rate decline above 60 mL/min, enabling earlier intervention before chronic kidney disease stage 3.

Burke, C. O., Burke, L. M., Tanzer, J. R.2026-04-01
📄 primary care research

Travel Time as a Predictor of Missed Appointments and Telemedicine Utilization in a Rural Outpatient Clinic: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Observational Study

This retrospective study of a rural Pacific Northwest clinic found that longer travel times significantly increase in-person appointment cancellations while driving higher telemedicine utilization, which maintains consistent adherence rates across all distance groups, thereby highlighting telehealth as an effective solution for geographic barriers to care.

Graves, P., Jacobsen, C., Ho, A., Johnson, D., Weaver, D.2026-03-25
📄 primary care research

Priority topics for preconception care in general practice: a consensus study

This consensus study involving UK primary care practitioners and people of reproductive age identified four priority topic areas—patient knowledge, ideas and concerns, health conditions, and health behaviors—to guide structured, opportunistic preconception care discussions in general practice.

Schoenaker, D., Lovegrove, E., Santer, M., Matvienko-Sikar, K., Carr, H., Alwan, N. A., Kubelabo, L., Davies, N., Godfre (…)2026-03-23
📄 primary care research

The impact of patient ethnicity on cancer incidence following platelet count and C-reactive protein tests in English primary care: a cohort study of 5 million patients

This large cohort study of 5 million patients in England found that while overall cancer incidence following abnormal platelet or CRP tests was highest among White patients and similar diagnostic odds ratios were observed across ethnic groups, Black patients exhibited significantly higher diagnostic odds ratios for colorectal cancer specifically, highlighting the critical need for ethnically diverse cohorts to prevent widening healthcare inequalities.

Barlow, M., Down, L., Mounce, L., Merriel, S. W. D., Watson, J., Martins, T. O., Bailey, S. E.2026-03-04
📄 primary care research

Smart stethoscope for cardiac auscultation in general practice: a prospective feasibility study of AI-assisted detection of atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and valvular heart disease

This prospective feasibility study demonstrates that AI-enabled digital stethoscopes are a practical and effective tool for detecting atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and valvular heart disease in routine general practice, achieving high rates of analyzable recordings with minimal workflow disruption.

Harskamp, R. E.2026-02-23
📄 primary care research

Cohort study investigating the natural history and management of sore throat and tonsillitis among adults in UK general practice

This UK cohort study reveals that while recurrent sore throat in adults is relatively uncommon, current tonsillectomy practices are poorly aligned with disease burden and exhibit significant socioeconomic inequities, highlighting a need for better identification of high-risk patients and more timely surgical intervention.

Finnikin, S., OHara, J., Marshall, T.2026-02-17