Community-based medical systems advancement in a hospital-primary health care centre in Crete, Greece: concepts, methods, and the new role of the general practitioner.

Modern health systems research and development emphasize the transition from hospital to primary health care. Importantly, this transition is projected to be coordinated and interactive, as facilitated, e.g., by improved information systems and collaboration between the involved parties, including Universities and health authorities. An ideal combination of this might accordingly be offered by a synthesis of a basic hospital and primary health care center in an area of suitable site, size, and structure. We believe that our institution, Nosokomion Neapolis, in; the moderate-size Cretan township of Neapolis (New-city) offers an interesting model example of this, because of its affiliation with the University of Heraklion and its international and EU-supported project status. In the present report we want to emphasize the elements that are particularly well suited and manageable and in many ways both opportunistic and conscientious "back to the future" instances of a successful Hospital/Primary Health Care integration. Specifically, we think that the advantages in local area epidemiology, prevention, and quality assurance are apparent, and nurture a--rather renewed that new-role of the general practitioner as both a holistic population doctor and a health systems researcher for the year 2,000 and beyond.