The Lost Pillar: Does Continuity of Care Still Matter?

Abstract

Continuity of care has long held a hallowed place in the halls of family medicine. Indeed, it is one of the 4 pillars of an ideal family practice, along with first contact, comprehensive, and coordinated care. But what does it mean to the patient, the doctor, and our sense of identity and purpose? And why, in recent years, has it receded from the discourse of family medicine values? This author suggests that continuity is an expression of the value we place on human relationships, a contract of sorts with the people we care for both inside and outside the office. Such relationships are not lightly discarded, for they serve us best in the long haul when our own sense of identity and purpose is tested and worn.

Keywords: continuity of care; relationship; residency training.