We will all get injured or sick at some point in our lives, and need a medical diagnosis and treatment. Choosing a primary care physician is the first step toward properly managing medical care. Your primary care doctor is considered your medical “home base”. It is the doctor you visit for most medical needs, including routine screenings, wellness visits, and non-emergency illnesses like sore throats and earaches.
Your relationship with your primary care doctor is an important one. You need to choose someone you are comfortable talking with about any health issue you may experience. Your primary care physician is also a good resource for getting referrals to specialists and other health care practitioners. This is a doctor you can trust and rely on to keep track of your health and treatments, check on medications you are taking, and keep up with your medical history to make sure you are on the same page when managing any chronic conditions.
What Does a Family Practice Doctor Do, And Why Would You Need One?
The specialty of family medicine grew out of the general practitioner movement in the late 1960s, in response to the growing level of specialization in medicine. Unlike a specialist, a family practice doctor treats the whole person. A family practice physician is interested in developing a lasting healthy relationship with their patients. Having this type of relationship can often reveal health issues that patients may be unaware of, that the family doctor can spot and treat.
Family physicians treat children and adults, alike. Because of this, many family practice doctors provide health care to entire families, from infants to geriatrics. A family physician may spot dynamics within a family that affect many areas of health care, because that physician is treating all members of the family.
Family medicine is broader in nature than internal medicine since it involves caring for children as well as adults (internists primarily treat adults). Family medicine also involves training in procedures and services often provided by other specialists. Because of this, a family physician typically adapts the nature of their practices to meet the specific medical needs of their community.
Family practice doctors emphasize the following areas of health care:
- Outpatient medicine
- Continuity of care
- Health maintenance
- Disease prevention
This emphasis allows family physicians to function as primary care providers for adults and children as part of a family unit, depending on the medical need. And, family practice doctors are also trained to coordinate care among different specialists and subspecialists when these services are needed by their patients.
This is why a family practice physician could be the best choice for your primary care doctor, depending on the practice setting, and the specific needs of the patient.
If you are looking for a family practice doctor or an internist, contact South Carolina Internal Medicine Associates & Rehabilitation at (803) 749-1111, or request an appointment online. We make it our goal to provide comprehensive, compassionate, and truly patient-centered care.
