Using OECD PaRIS Report to Transform Primary Care

Photo credit: Ana Costa

OECD PaRIS Report: Transforming Primary Care with Patients at the Centre

The OECD officially launched its landmark Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS) report in Lisbon on 20 February 2025, with significant involvement from WONCA and family doctors globally. The event marked the release of groundbreaking data capturing patients' voices from 19 countries, representing the largest international analysis to date on patient outcomes and experiences in primary care.

The OECD's PaRIS initiative uniquely positions patients' perspectives at the heart of healthcare assessment. By directly involving over 107,000 patients aged 45 and older from more than 1,800 primary care practices, the survey provides unprecedented insights into the quality and responsiveness of primary care services for those living with chronic conditions.

WONCA’s central role

Family doctors and primary care teams from WONCA have played critical roles throughout the PaRIS initiative. From its inception, WONCA leadership and members significantly contributed to shaping the survey. Prominent WONCA figures, including Amanda Howe, Job Metsemakers, and Jose M. Valderas, participated actively in the initial reflection committee (PaRIS Task Force). Anna Stavdal represented WONCA as an advisor on the OECD’s decision-making committee (Working Party for PaRIS). Mehmet Akman, Sara Ares, Viviana Martínez-Bianchi, Raquel Gómez-Bravo, Amanda Howe, Andree Rochfort, María Pilar Astier Peña provided comments from the primary care professionals’ perspectives on the draft flagship report.

WONCA members also took on key operational roles:

• Zalika Klemenc-Ketis (Slovenia) and Bohumil Seifert (Czechia) led national implementation efforts, and also spoke in the plenary session called "Integrating PaRIS in national initiatives" at the launch event.
• Jose M. Valderas, Chair of the WONCA Working Party on Quality and Safety, guided methodological development for the survey’s analytical framework.
• Technical guidance was provided by Mehmet Akman (Chair, WONCA Working Party on Research), Michael Kidd (Past WONCA President), and Toni Dedeu (WHO European Centre for Primary Health Care).
• Candan Kendir of the OECD, a WONCA colleague, was instrumental in international project management.

Transforming Care with Patient Voices

During the Lisbon launch event, WONCA President-elect Dr. Viviana Martínez-Bianchi joined a panel titled "Improving primary care in the light of PaRIS results." Dr. Martínez-Bianchi emphasized how family doctors and primary care teams can leverage PaRIS findings to advocate and implement strategies for systemic change. Her message highlighted the importance of integration, coordination, and patient-centered care, especially for patients managing multiple chronic conditions.

To sustain momentum and strengthen the role of patients in shaping healthcare policies, it is crucial to expand patient-reported data collection. This includes scaling up PaRIS and similar initiatives to encompass a wider range of countries, particularly in low- and middle-income regions. Broadening participation will ensure that insights reflect diverse healthcare systems and patient experiences. Additionally, standardizing patient-reported outcome and experience measures (PROs and PREs) will improve cross-country comparisons, allowing policymakers and practitioners to identify best practices and drive meaningful reforms.

Dr. Martínez-Bianchi also addressed the systemic pressures family doctors face globally, including workforce shortages, burnout, and inadequate support systems. She stressed that continuity of care, shown by PaRIS data to significantly enhance patient outcomes, is under threat due to these challenges. She also emphasized the need to move beyond seeing individuals simply as “patients” and to recognize them as people first, with full humanity and lived experiences. A truly people-centered approach, she noted, ensures that healthcare systems do not just treat conditions but also support individuals in their broader social and personal contexts.

Key Insights From the PaRIS Report

The PaRIS initiative breaks new ground by providing clear, actionable data that demonstrates how well primary care services meet patient needs. Key findings include:

• Over half of patients surveyed have multiple chronic conditions, underscoring the critical need for integrated and coordinated care approaches.
• Healthcare workforce availability directly correlates with improved patient-reported outcomes, reinforcing the need for investment in primary care staffing.
• Positive patient experiences, such as adequate consultation time and personalized care plans, significantly correlate with improved trust in the health system, better overall health and well-being.
• There are notable disparities in care experiences and outcomes linked to gender and socio-economic status, highlighting the urgent need for targeted policy responses.

Call for Policy Action

Building on these insights, Dr. Martínez-Bianchi outlined several priority areas for family doctors and policymakers to address:

• Strengthening team-based care by advocating for inclusive primary care teams featuring nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and mental health professionals.
• Enhancing care coordination through care navigation systems and shared care plans.
• Increasing consultation time, particularly for patients with multimorbidity, to support comprehensive assessments and decision-making.
• Investing in digital health infrastructure, including interoperable electronic health records and telehealth solutions, to improve integration and patient engagement.
• Shifting to value-based payment models that incentivize holistic, patient-centered care rather than traditional fee-for-service models.
• Implementing policies addressing social determinants of health to reduce health inequities and support marginalized populations.
• Amplifying the patient voice by integrating patient-reported outcomes into healthcare planning and decision-making globally.

Moving Forward

WONCA encourages its members worldwide to use PaRIS findings as powerful tools for advocacy and healthcare transformation. This report provides robust evidence to support policy changes, better funding, and enhanced primary care models that genuinely put patients first.

Explore the full OECD PaRIS report here: OECD PaRIS Report

Together, family doctors and primary care professionals can drive meaningful systemic change, ensuring healthcare delivery is truly responsive to patients' lived experiences and needs.