Family Medicine/General Practice
Family medicine (FM), formerly family practice (FP), is a medical specialty devoted to comprehensive health care for people of all ages; the specialist is named a family physician or family doctor. In Europe the discipline is often referred to as General Practice and a practitioner as a General Practice Doctor or GP; this name emphasizes the holistic nature of this speciality, as well as its roots in the family.
It is a division of primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and parts of the body. It is based on knowledge of the patient in the context of the family and the community, emphasizing disease prevention and health promotion. According to the World Organization of Family Doctors (Wonca), the aim of family medicine is to provide personal, comprehensive, and continuing care for the individual in the context of the family and the community. The issues of values underlying this practice are usually known as primary care ethics.
Family physicians deliver a range of acute, chronic and preventive medical care services. In addition to diagnosing and treating illness, they also provide preventive care, including routine checkups, health-risk assessments, immunization and screening tests, and personalized counseling on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Family physicians also manage chronic illness, often coordinating care provided by other subspecialists. Many American family physicians deliver babies and provide prenatal care. In the U.S., family physicians treat more patients with back pain than any other physician subspecialist, and about as many as orthopedists and neurosurgeons combined.
INTERESTING FACT
MOST FAMILY PHYSICIANS IN THE US PRACTICE IN SOLO OR SMALL-GROUP PRIVATE PRACTICES OR AS HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES IN PRACTICES OF SIMILAR SIZES OWNED BY HOSPITALS. HOWEVER, THE SPECIALTY IS BROAD AND ALLOWS FOR A VARIETY OF CAREER OPTIONS INCLUDING EDUCATION, EMERGENCY MEDICINE OR URGENT CARE, INPATIENT MEDICINE, INTERNATIONAL OR WILDERNESS MEDICINE, PUBLIC HEALTH, SPORTS MEDICINE, AND RESEARCH. OTHERS CHOOSE TO PRACTICE AS CONSULTANTS TO VARIOUS MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING INSURANCE COMPANIES....Read More
Doctors in this Specialty
Western Medical Centre
Sports Medicine, Dermatology, Family Medicine/General Practice, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Orthopedics
- Trinidad & Tobago
The Care Clinic & Med...
Dermatology, Anesthesiology, Dentistry, Family Medicine/General Practice, Neurology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Orthopedics, General Surgery, Neurological Surgery
- Trinidad & Tobago
Dr. Rene Virgil Best
MSc D.M.
Sports Medicine, Family Medicine/General Practice, Hyperbaric Medicine
- Barbados
Dr. Elohor Ziregbe
Accident & Emergency, Family Medicine/General Practice, Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Trinidad & Tobago