Reducing Health Inequalities Through Prevention-Oriented Primary Care Models

Primary care and family medicine form the foundational backbone of healthcare systems, facilitating continuous and coordinated patient access while balancing roles in both clinical care and community health. In recent years, these fields have been tasked with addressing the dual challenges of rising noncommunicable diseases, as well as persistent and emerging infectious threats such as antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infections. Despite rapid scientific progress and innovation in public health, significant disparities persist particularly in surveillance capabilities, the adoption of standardized health indicators, and more importantly, the routine implementation of preventive measures. Furthermore, demographic shifts including population aging, and social inequalities only intensify these vulnerabilities, highlighting the urgent need for person-centered and community-oriented models that consider the broader social determinants of health.This Research Topic aims to investigate how primary care and family medicine can be leveraged to intensify preventive measures and effectively address health inequities. The focus is on identifying barriers and opportunities regarding access to and the long-term sustainability of preventive interventions, with an emphasis on real-world primary care settings. By exploring innovative prevention-focused models, improved integration between public health and primary care, and evaluating equity-driven initiatives for vulnerable groups, this Topic seeks to generate robust evidence to inform future policy, clinical practice, and research. The effort brings together diverse perspectives from various healthcare systems and socioeconomic contexts to identify solutions and strategies with potential for wider adoption and to highlight the crucial role of primary care in building more equitable and prevention-oriented health systems.The scope of this Research Topic focuses on preventive and integrative approaches within primary care and family medicine to address both communicable and noncommunicable diseases, with particular attention to health equity and underserved populations. Contributions are encouraged that connect prevention, care delivery innovations, and social determinants within community settings. To gather further insights in this area, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Prevention and control of infectious diseases, including healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance, in non-hospital settings• Innovative and inclusive approaches to screening and early diagnosis, especially for vulnerable populations• Health promotion and primary prevention interventions for chronic conditions and social determinants• Integrated care pathways and surveillance across the hospital-community transition, including multidisciplinary team models• The impact of digital health tools, such as telemedicine and clinical decision support, for the implementation of preventive services• Strategies to reduce the impact of social determinants, increase community outreach, and strengthen integration between public health and primary careWe welcome full-length articles, short articles, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, scoping reviews, methodological studies, and policy contributions including policy analyses, perspectives, and commentary. Topic editors: Andrea Orsi, Erica De Vita, Giancarlo Icardi Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80125/reducing-health-inequalities-through-prevention-oriented-primary-care-models