Grant: PRIME Rapid Response - A CIHR-Healthcare Excellence Canada Partnership

Introduction. Primary care is foundational to any health system, but a lack of infrastructure and human resources in Canada make it difficult to achieve the Quintuple aim (equity, improved care, health, experiences and lower system costs). Access to care in Canada is lower than peer countries, with 5.4 million unattached patients and poor integration for people with complex needs.1 Importantly, those living in poorer, less resourced communities face increased health and healthcare inequities.2 For instance, Indigenous peoples experience greater burdens of disease and health disparities compared to non-Indigenous people.3,4 To address unmet needs and healthcare inequities, we need to improve access to high quality, comprehensive primary care. Primary care should meet the needs of individuals and their communities. Indigenous primary health care models, grounded in relational approaches and integrating traditional healing with Western clinical practices, offer valuable lessons for advancing culturally safe, community-driven care across diverse settings. Primary care is the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of the family and the community5 and is usually carried out in a clinic or office setting. Abiding by primary health care principles inclusive of population health assessment, health promotion and disease and injury prevention,6,7 primary care focuses on the delivery of health promotion, disease prevention, and management of episodic and chronic conditions for individuals and families.8