Fakulteti i Mjekesise

Dega Mjekesi e pergjithshme - Viti I

Lenda: English Language
L. 14. Dealing with the family physician

Lecture 14. Dealing with the family physician

Family physicians are primary care physicians who treat patients of all ages (hence the term
“family medicine”) from pediatrics through geriatrics. They help manage and diagnose a
variety of common illnesses and conditions covering a broad spectrum of health issues.
Most medical specialists focus on a particular part of the body or a specific type of disease.
Doctors who specialize in family medicine provide comprehensive care to patients of all
ages with all sorts of conditions.
Because they focus on the “whole patient” and provide treatment over long time periods,
family physicians are uniquely suited to providing preventive care and managing chronic
and complex conditions. They are skilled at dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty in the
care of patients with a full range of acute and chronic problems. Family physicians require
competence in the patient-centred clinical method. Use of “watchful waiting” as a
diagnostic strategy for undifferentiated problems allows quite 40% of new patient cases to
resolve on their own, without further unnecessary investigations. This strategy differentiates
the diagnostic approach of family physicians from that of other medical disciplines.
Family physicians are typically expert in dealing with the most common health problems in
their communities and also with less common but life-threatening problems and other
serious problems requiring treatment. Family physicians are often the first to learn about
new symptoms, and the first to diagnose emerging conditions.
Family physicians treat injuries and illnesses that occur in everyday life. Broken bones,
sinus infections, colds, and other common viruses are examples of ailments that are treated
by a family physician. When patients have a more serious condition, family physicians refer
them to a specialist.

 Family physicians:
 Treat a wide range of medical issues,
 Coordinate care with other medical professionals,
 Care for the whole patient, including mental and emotional needs,
 Strive to build long-term relationships with their patients,
 Provide information and techniques to help patients take control of their health,
 Focus on preventing illness as well as treating it.

 The duties and responsibilities of a family physician are as follows.

 The physician has the main responsibility to do the general checkup of all the members
of the family.
 He or she needs to do the referrals to other specialists in times of need.
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 Fakulteti i Mjekesise
Dega Mjekesi e pergjithshme - Viti I
Lenda: English Language
L. 14. Dealing with the family physician

 It is needed to perform the diagnosis of a wide range of physical and psychological

problems.
 He or she is responsible for providing vaccinations and counseling family members on
preventive care.
 He or she has to counsel for the bringing the changes in lifestyle such as diet and
fitness to improve the general health of the family.
 He or she has the responsibility to encourage the members of the family to work
together to improve the morale of the family.
 It is the responsibility to provide the emotional support in times of medical
emergencies.
 It is also needed to take the home visits as well even at odd hours, if needed.

 Family physician skills and specifications

The person desiring to be a Family doctor needs to manage the health needs of the family
and is the person who is aware of a lot of personal matters of a family. The required skills
and specifications are as follows:

 The person needs to have broad awareness regarding a range of medical conditions
and illnesses.
 He or she has the required knowledge of affecting people of different ages and sexes.
 He or she should have the sensitivity and compassion to deal with delicate health
needs of the family.
 It will be required to have the skills of upholding the trust of the family by maintaining
strict confidentiality.
 He or she should have the required interest in serving people with the precise and
gentle communication skills.
 He or she should have the motivation skills to lead a better lifestyle.
 The person needs to have the ability to put the members of the family at ease in his
presence.
 He or she should have a pleasing and approachable personality with the sound decision
making abilities.

When someone has a non-emergency health concern, they often see a family physician first.
Family doctors are the first point of contact for people seeking health care. During a patient
visit, the family physician reviews the patient chart, and examines the patient after the nurse
or assistant has recorded the patient’s vital signs. Office visits may include immunizations,
yearly physicals, colds and flu, common skin issues or “lumps and bumps”, and a wide
variety of patients with chronic issues such as hypertension, allergies, or diabetes. Family
physician assesses and treats a wide range of conditions, ailments, and injuries, from sinus
and respiratory infections to broken bones and scrapes.
The physician collects information by interviewing the patient and performing some
diagnostic tests to determine the problem. Tests can be as simple as looking inside a
patient's throat or ears, or they may involve the use of imaging equipment like x-rays.

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 Fakulteti i Mjekesise
Dega Mjekesi e pergjithshme - Viti I
Lenda: English Language
L. 14. Dealing with the family physician

Any further tests will be ordered and completed, and the family physicians will then
determine the diagnosis, or refer the patient to a specialist or for further testing if needed.
When medication is required for treatment, family physicians write prescriptions that their
patients can take to a pharmacy.
The doctor will then create a treatment plan which may include medication, dietary changes,
minor surgical procedure, or a visit to another doctor. When the tests are completed,
physicians interpret the results and prescribe a treatment and, if needed, a follow up visit
will be scheduled.
Family physicians are trained to treat chronic conditions, such as asthma or heart disease, as
well as acute ailments, such as flu or infection. They also screen for early signs of serious
conditions, such as cancer. Family physicians typically have a patient base of regular, long-
term visitors. Patients with more serious conditions are referred to specialists or other health
care facilities for more intensive care. Upon examination of a patient, if more specialized
treatment or surgery is necessary to treat a more serious illness, a family physician will then
refer a patient to a physician specialist or surgeon to continue health treatment in a more in-
depth nature. Unlike internists, some family practitioners, particularly those in smaller
towns, may practice obstetrics (caring for pregnant mothers and delivering babies) in
addition to general family medicine.
In addition to office hours and hospital rounds or nursing home rounds, the family physician
may also be on call for several nights per week and one or more weekends per month. When
on-call, the physician may be able to admit patients to a hospitalist over the phone, or the
physician may have to go to the hospital when paged, depending on the hospital staff and
set-up.
They frequently care for families across several generations. Unlike most other doctors,
family physicians work with their patients over a long period of time. It's common for
patients to see the same physician for many years. For some people, this can be very
rewarding.
Many patients develop long-standing relationships with their family doctor, and come to
think of him or her as “my doctor.” Over time, the family physician comes to know a great
deal about the patient’s health history and medical needs. This helps in preventing health
problems and reducing health risks, which are key elements of family medicine.
Family physicians care for patients in many different environments, including the home and
areas that are underserved by other medical providers.
Research has proven that people who have access to primary health care have better health
outcomes than those who do not. Family physicians help fill this gap. In fact, nearly a
quarter of family physicians practice in rural areas or treat uninsured patients, especially
children and families receiving public assistance. Of all the primary care specialties, family
physicians provide the most care, managing nearly one-fourth of all primary care visits.
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