Each country was also rated 0, 1, or 2 with regard to its achievement of the cardinal features of primary care practice. A score of 0 indicates poor achievement of the feature; a score of 1 indicates intermediate achievement, and a score of 2 indicates high achievement of the feature.

First contact is the seeking of care for each newly occurring problem or need from a primary care practitioner rather than a specialist. Longitudinality is person-focused (not disease-focused) relationship over time with the primary care source. Comprehensiveness is the provision, by the primary care source, of services for all health-related needs except those too uncommon in the population for competence to be maintained. Coordination is the integration of care by the primary care source when services outside of primary are required.

Two related characteristics were also rated. Family centeredness is the extent to which services are provided in a family context. Community orientation is the extent to which data on community health needs are taken into account in planning for primary care services.

Source: Starfield B. Primary Care: Balancing Health Needs, Services, and Technology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.