Value of Family Medicine

A robust evidence base exists for the value of family medicine and primary care to the health of individuals and populations. Despite the depth of the evidence and the frequency with which it is presented, primary care in the United States remains undervalued and under fire.

The Academy and the Robert Graham Center are frequently asked to present or make available this evidence. In response to that request and in the interest of ensuring broad access to the relevant literature, we have collected a list of the articles most often used to make the case for primary care.

The following articles help demonstrate the value and importance of primary care and of family medicine. The "Most Commonly Cited Articles" link below is a a list of the 20 most cited articles, with links to their abstracts on PubMed. Below that is a link to download a more complete bibliography, which also includes links to PubMed. Although this bibliography is far from exhaustive, we believe it captures the core articles. More articles will be added over time.

For more information about the evidence for the value of primary care, visit the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care at www.graham-center.org

See also: The AAFP Brief on the Patient-Centered Medical Home.

Last updated: July 31, 2009