Family medicine is a medical specialty that attends to patients of all ages, from newborns to older adults. It focuses on individual needs and social determinants of health and considers the impact of health on the patient’s family. Family doctors are the only medical professionals that treat most health conditions, including acute and chronic conditions, evaluate symptoms and offer preventive care. You can get Cypress family medicine practice in private office settings, community medicine clinics, or hospitals. Family physicians can specialize in various medical fields like sports medicine or emergency care. Family medicine practice offers many health services, including:
Treat acute illness and injuries
When you get an acute injury or illness, your family doctor can attend to it without the help of a specialist. Your family physician can treat mild fractures, flu, pneumonia, allergies, and stomach infections. Acute problems do not have long-term health effects. If your condition does not improve after family medicine care, your provider can refer you to a specialist for further evaluation.
Disease prevention measures
Disease prevention is an essential service in family medicine. Common disease prevention measures include a healthy diet, regular exercise, and avoiding smoking and drinking alcohol. Infant immunization and vaccination of highly infectious diseases are also part of disease prevention. If there is an outbreak of a contagious condition, your family physician notifies you about it and educates you on preventive measures.
Routine checkups and examinations
Family medicine practice offers routine checkups and exams to monitor your overall health. These exams help detect potential and existing health problems and prevent future complications. Detection of diseases in their early stages can lead to successful treatment. You may require more frequent routine checkups if you have a chronic condition. During the regular visits, your family doctor may perform a virtual exam and recommend various tests to determine your health.
Management of chronic diseases
Your family doctor diagnoses and treats many chronic conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, asthma, and heart conditions. Your family doctor helps you manage your condition through medications, psychotherapy, and lifestyle modification. The provider also schedules regular appointments for regular screening to help monitor the progress of your disease.
Disease diagnosis
Although physical examination and symptoms help doctors diagnose health conditions, laboratory and diagnostic may be essential for further details. Depending on your health concern, your doctor can order tests like blood screening, X-ray, ultrasound, CT scan, and urine test. These tests help your doctor evaluate the root cause of your problem to help develop the best treatment plan.
Referrals to specialists
If your condition does not improve after family medicine practice, your provider can refer you to a specialist. Conditions that may require specialists include cancer and heart issues. Your family doctor liaises with your specialist to coordinate and monitor your prescriptions and condition. Some health insurance policies need you to get a referral to a specialist from your family physician.
Family medicine is a medical specialty that attends to patients of all ages. It offers many services, including treatment of acute and chronic diseases, disease prevention, referral to specialists, and disease diagnosis. Schedule an appointment at Prime Healthcare of Cypress for family medicine services to improve your overall health.
