Analysis of definitions of general practice, family medicine, and primary health care: A terminological analysis

Background There are numerous definitions of General Practice and Family Medicine (GP/FM) and Primary Health Care (PHC), but the distinction between the two concepts is unclear. Aim To conduct a terminological analysis of a set of definitions of GP/FM and of PHC, to clarify what binds and what distinguishes these two concepts. Design The terms of 20 definitions were collected in two bags of words (one for GP/FM and one for PHC terms). A terminological analysis of these two bags of words was performed to prioritize the terms and analyze their world of reference. Methods The two collected bags of words were extracted with Vocabgrabber®, configured in two term clouds using Wordle®, and further explored for similarities using Tropes®. The prioritized terms were analyzed using the Aristotelian approach to categorization of things. Results Although continuity of care (with person-centered approach and shared decision making) is the central issue of the two sets, the two sets of definitions differ greatly in content. The prioritized terms specific to GP/FM (community, medicine, responsibility, individual, problem, needs, etc.) are different from prioritized terms specific to PHC (home, team, promotion, collaborator, engagement, neighborhood, medical center, etc.). Conclusion Terminological analysis of the definitions for GP/FM and PHC shows two entities which are overlapping but distinct, necessitating a different taxonomic approach and different bibliographic search strategies.