Family Medicine
In Canada, there is a system of family doctors. Under this system, you can choose a doctor for yourself who will monitor the health of all members of your family, pay you visits if someone from the family gets sick, etc. However, finding a family doctor in a large city like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver or Vaughan is very difficult – the demand is great, so doctors are not interested in serving a large number of families.
Family medicine (sometimes called general medical practice) is a system for organizing primary health care, which is provided by a family doctor regardless of age, gender or the nature of the pathology.
What are the duties of a family doctor?
- Complete initial examination;
- Annual diagnostics;
- Carrying out medical procedures;
- Treatment and control over the treatment process.
If it is necessary to clarify the diagnosis or adjust the treatment, a family doctor refers the patient to specialized doctors (for example, a gastroenterologist or cardiologist).
This specialist is also involved in the prevention of various diseases: he or she conducts preventive examinations, advises people on how to avoid various diseases.
When should I see my family doctor?
You can contact your family doctor with any complaints:
- high temperature;
- blood pressure problems;
- digestive disorders;
- pains of any intensity and localization;
- chronic fatigue;
- sleep disorders;
- deterioration of visual acuity or hearing;
- skin problems;
- shortness of breath, difficulty breathing;
- colds;
- etc.
What are the benefits of family medicine?
A family doctor knows every family member well. There are no secrets from him/her – this is a close person. In the event of a change in health, the diagnostic route will be reduced to a minimum – your family doctor already knows that your spleen is enlarged (due to fresh mononucleosis), your right knee is restricted in movement (due to football training last spring), and your sugar needs to be checked because your grandmother has diabetes mellitus.
A family doctor accompanies the family throughout their lives. This is a general practitioner who understands not only general therapeutic issues but also has knowledge of surgical, traumatological pathology, he/she understands pediatrics and knows how to deal with elderly patients.