Australian J of Primary Health special edition on Opportunities and Challenges of Primary Care reform: invitation to submit an article
Staying True: Navigating the Opportunities and Challenges of Primary Health Care Reform
The Australian Journal of Primary Health invites submissions of papers for publication in a special Issue in 2018 exploring the potential and the problems posed by PHC reform as an international movement to deliver better health outcomes. The edition marks the ten year anniversary of the World Health Organisation report, Primary Health Care - Now More Than Ever.
The Call for Papers describes:
"For over 40 years, comprehensive primary health care (PHC) has been seen as the key foundation of an effective, equitable, responsive and sustainable health system. Comprehensive PHC systems provide essential first-contact health care that is accessible and affordable, continuous and holistic, practical and scientifically sound. In particular, comprehensive PHC is participatory and based on a spirit of self-reliance and self-determination for individuals and communities. Ten years ago the WHO called for a renewed focus on comprehensive PHC because they recognised the need and the challenges inherent in creating equitable health systems . Faced with rising costs, the growing burden of chronic illness, an ageing population, and in the context of increasing corporatisation of health care systems, there is a policy view that PHC is a solution to the problems facing funders of health systems. PHC is being asked to do more, often without additional investment, while at the same time its core essence is potentially undermined. Primary care reforms driven by notions of efficiency, accountability, risk management, standardisation and service integration can pose challenges to values of localism, community ownership and responsiveness which are at the heart of comprehensive PHC."How can system-level thinking about PHC recognise the needs of individuals and communities?"
The editors propose a number of questions that authors/papers may consider, and also welcome other topics that address the key issue of reform through PHC:
- Does a focus on guidelines and quality indicators help to achieve the goals of PHC?
- Can we afford good quality PHC for everyone?
- How can notions of generalism and specialism be appropriately embedded in PHC systems?
- How can communities be mobilised to sustain and drive comprehensive PHC?
Submission deadline is October 30 2017
The Special Issue will be published mid-2018 but papers will become available ‘Online Early’ immediately following acceptance and production. Articles may be up to 3000 words. Full details of the submission and peer review process are available on the Journal website. For further information, please contact Virginia Lewis.
Guest Editors
Prof. Jeannie Haggerty (McGill, Montreal, Canada)
A/Prof. John Furler (University of Melbourne, Australia)
A/Prof. Virginia Lewis ( La Trobe University, Australia)