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Why PRIME?

PRIME is commited to improving the quality and depth of healthcare provision, in particular with regard to challenging society's perception of healthcare professionalism and healthcare's perception of the patient.

PRIME's view of the patient

A World Health Organization report, published as far back as 1998, recognised that:

"Until recently the health professions have largely followed a medical model, which seeks to treat patients by focusing on medicines and surgery, and gives less importance to beliefs and to faith in healing, in the physician and in the doctor-patient relationship. This reductionist or mechanistic view of patients is no longer satisfactory. Patients and physicians have begun to realise the value of elements such as faith, hope, and compassion in the healing process."

Traditional health care teaching models have been slow to reflect this change in the professional view of patient. PRIME teaching is always based on a whole person healthcare view of the patient in order to fully recognise the effects of these elements on the healing process. 

"The manner in which the problems were exposed reminded us - we treat human beings, not diseases." Romanian medical student following a PRIME course.

This teaching can have a remarkable effect on healthcare professionals attending PRIME courses and, we hope, on the treatment they provide to the 100,000 people they will each potentially treat in the course of their careers.