The Primary Healthcare Research and Development Institute was formally established in 2015 in order to carry out scientific and research work in the field of medical sciences and development in the field of primary healthcare.
The main and essential task of the unit is to seek and develop new or additional patient care options.

The Institute deals with the following essential areas:

1. Research and Development

With the help of research, innovations are introduced and existing patient treatment methods are upgraded or improved.

The focus is on:

  • designing new models or approaches to patient care and verification in a clinical setting;
  • accessing new resources and experience in the field of healthcare innovation by verifying their application and scope in a clinical setting;
  • encouraging health research and testing the use of new technologies and information systems, which are extremely important for the development of more effective approaches to patient treatment and care and, in general, to the optimisation of work processes;
  • implementation of optimised models and/or innovative approaches that primarily enable improved quality of patient care and reduced treatment costs;
  • integrating the economic aspects of treatment into projects.

The aim of our activities is to achieve changes in healthcare and, in so doing, to integrate and connect regional, national and global health partners.

2. Quality Development

Quality is an area that is never perfected and can always be improved. In order to achieve improvement, the current state needs to be known, so it is first necessary to verify an institution’s safety culture and quality. Based on analyses, measures for improving output parameters are proposed. Quality development is another constant of the Ljubljana Healthcare Centre’s everyday work.

3. Simulation Centre and Mediation Centre

Since 2014, the Ljubljana Healthcare Centre’s Simulation Centre has operated within primary healthcare as a learning centre at which both professionals and the lay public are trained through advanced simulations in healthcare using state-of-the-art equipment. The aim of the various training programmes is to improve patient safety, to increase the knowledge and skills of professionals and lay people, and to enhance their competences and performance in dealing with certain life-threatening situations.

The Mediation Centre, established in 2015, is intended for the calm resolution of misunderstandings among employees and patients of the Ljubljana Community Health Centre, and among external stakeholders who would like to resolve disputes calmly through mediation. There are 24 educated and trained mediators at the Ljubljana Community Health Centre.

4. Membership in and Cooperation with International Institutions

The Ljubljana Community Health Centre is the largest primary healthcare institution in Slovenia and is even one of the largest institutions of its kind on a European scale. Our position as a point of reference is enhanced by the visits of various delegations from abroad, to whom the institution’s good practices, organisation and management are presented, along with the working method and content of individual activities.

  • The Ljubljana Community Health Centre is a member of renowned international organisations, including:
  • The European Association for Quality and Safety in Family Medicine (EQUIP),
  • The European Forum for Primary Health Care (EFPC),
  • The Society in Europe for Simulation Applied to Medicine (SESAM),
  • The International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL).

With this kind of networking, experience is exchanged and implemented in the domestic environment.

Research Group

In order to be able to apply for tenders, each research institution must have a research group with the necessary references. The Institution, whose research group has 23 members, regularly applies for ARRS tenders, EU projects (HORIZON 2020), NFM tenders, EcoSmart projects and domestic projects in areas that are relevant to the Ljubljana Community Health Centre.