The future of primary healthcare in Australia: Where to from here?

The delivery of care in the community is increasingly seen as vital in terms of patient outcomes, health promotion, and the prevention of illness in society. The primary care practitioner is generally the first point of contact with the healthcare system, and current reforms in primary health care—as well as the dynamic nature of society and social preferences—have seen the roles of general practice and general practitioners in Australia undergo a transformation. Achieving results in health outcomes is going to require the implementation of innovations such as multi-professional primary healthcare teams, 1 technological innovations, and procedural reform. The question remains—how are such changes most effectively implemented, and at what stage are we currently in this “reformation”?