New directions in standard terminology and classifications for primary care

Three documents that considerably facilitate primary care research have been produced in recent years. They are an international glossary of primary care health terms, an international classification of primary care health problems, and a primary care process classification. To describe the full spectrum of primary health care, however, additional classifications are needed that detail the reasons for encounters and indicate health status. Work on these several classifications is in progress and a set of primary care classifications has been proposed as a basis for the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases.