Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 May 10;26(1):152.
doi: 10.1186/s12875-025-02849-3.

Integrating prevention into primary care organizations: a case study in France

Estelle Clet  1   2   3 , Anais Essilini  4   5   6 , Céleste Cornet  4   5   6 , Jean-Philippe Joseph  7 , Christine Cohidon #  8 , François Alla #  4   5   6
Affiliations

Integrating prevention into primary care organizations: a case study in France

Estelle Clet et al. BMC Prim Care. .

Abstract

Background: Although primary care providers have a major role to play in combating risk factors, preventive practices can still be improved. The development of coordinated practice is considered as an opportunity to integrate prevention into primary care. What are the conditions, obstacles and facilitators involved in such a process?

Objectives: To explore and describe the conditions under which prevention is integrated into 'communautés professionnelles territoriales de santé' (CPTS = territorial professional health communities) in France, a new type of primary care organization being generalized in France.

Method: A case study was conducted in two regions of France. We conducted interviews with: (i) healthcare professionals and coordinators, and (ii) local healthcare authorities and territorial officers for the CPTS. Data were collected through individual and semi-structured group interviews, observations and a documentary analysis. They were then coded by two investigators according to two coding trees depending on the population involved. A thematic analysis was then carried out.

Results: This case study was composed of 18 interviews, two observations and three documents. They showed that healthcare professionals and healthcare authorities do not share the same vision, issues and expectations regarding prevention. For the former, prevention should be integrated into care as in preventive clinical practices, while the latter are more focused on the healthcare system with a vision based on prevention programs.

Conclusion: This study identified the obstacles and facilitators to integrating prevention into coordinated practices in primary care.

Keywords: Health system; Partnership; Prevention; Primary health care.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was submitted and received a favorable recommendation from the local Research Ethics Committee of the University Hospital of Bordeaux. This recommendation has the reference CER-BDX 2023–158. Verbal informed consent was obtained from all subjects participating in the study. All methods were applied in accordance with current national guidelines and regulations. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

References

    1. Benziger CP, Roth GA, Moran AE. The global burden of disease study and the preventable burden of NCD. 2016;11(4):393. 10.1016/j.gheart.2016.10.024 - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. Noncommunicable diseases. 2022. Accessed December 7, 2022. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases
    1. World Health Organization. Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases for 2013–2020. 2013. Accessed August 29, 2023. https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA66/A66_R10-en.pdf?ua=1
    1. Organisation Mondiale de la Santé. Déclaration d’Alma-Ata sur les soins de santé primaires. World Health Organization. 1978. Accessed March 22, 2021. https://www.who.int/topics/primary_health_care/alma_ata_declaration/fr/
    1. France.: Health System Review 2023. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies; 2023:276. Accessed July 18, 2023. https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/france-health-syste...

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources