Which statement about levels of care is true?

• A. There are four levels including Quaternary.
• B. There are three levels: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary.
• C. There are two levels: Primary and Secondary.
• D. Levels of care are not standardized.

Answer: (B)

Levels of care describe how medical services are organized by complexity and specialty. The standard framework most often taught divides care into three tiers: primary care, which is the first contact for individuals and focuses on general health, prevention, and ongoing management; secondary care, which involves specialist services and hospital-based care accessed through referral when more expertise or technology is needed; and tertiary care, which covers highly specialized treatments and procedures usually provided at specialized centers with advanced capabilities. This three-tier model is widely used in curricula and practice guidelines, making it the best-supported description in many health systems. While some contexts discuss an additional level called quaternary care for ultra-specialized or experimental interventions, this isn’t universally standardized, so the three-level framework remains the most commonly accepted representation.