Primary Care Services: A Review of Recent Literature 

News and views on the national economic downturn and the urgency of containing and shifting costs have become commonplace.  The health sector has had its share of being bombarded with pessimistic opinions and is under pressure to increase efficiency while at the same time it is rumoured that there will be further reductions of government funding of the already strained health service.  Professional nursing is not immune from the effects of this climate; nor can nurses afford not to develop their own responses and initiatives to the opportunities generated.  This paper focuses particularly on the primary level of health care.  By reviewing recent literature it becomes clear that services by professional nurses are not only less costly than primary medical services, but more effective and appropriate in enhancing clients’ self-responsibility in health.