Comprehensive and Continuous Care

Abstract

For family medicine, continuity and comprehensiveness are both guiding principles and unreachable goals. They are intangible, difficult to define, and even more difficult to measure. They are essential elements of an effective family practice and need to be understood by all students of the discipline. This chapter will define continuity of care and comprehensive care, will explain their importance in the provision of quality health care, and will review ways that practices can be organized for the maximum attainment of these goals.