Tools for community-oriented primary care: a process for linking practice and community data

Community-oriented primary care (COPC) is an increasingly attractive paradigm for primary care delivery. Further work is needed, however, to implement COPC in busy practice settings. This study reports a feasible method for linking practice and community health data for use in COPC.

Using one practice and its community as an example of the process, we sought data related to five common cancers. Data from readily accessible community sources were combined with practice morbidity data using commonly available computer hardware and software.

We developed a user-friendly database and maps showing rates and distribution of the example diseases. We also developed strategies to obtain complete case identification and to address confidentiality and proprietary concerns.

Understanding patterns of disease expression in the practice and the community is critical to the COPC process. Rapid, inexpensive methods for displaying these patterns, such as the database and maps described, must be accessible to clinicians if COPC is to move from theory into practice. Partnerships between health care providers and institutions can also help get this capability into the hands of clinicians.