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Family doctor

The family doctor – the multi-profile highly qualified specialist providing any primary medical care from an infancy till an old age.

Семейный врач – многопрофильный высококвалифицированный специалист, оказывающий любую первичную медицинскую помощь от младенчества до старости

It is accepted to call the family doctor in many European countries the general practitioner. Its preparation allows to define in most cases the nature of a disease and a measure necessary for its treatment.

The duties of the general practitioner include delivery of health care irrespective of her profile. For this purpose it needs to have skills and knowledge both in the field of therapy, and in numerous adjacent areas among which there is a neurology, ophthalmology, dermatology, otorhinolaryngology, cardiology and others. According to indications the family doctor directs the patient for consultation to profile specialists or to hospitalization in a hospital.

Advantages of family medicine

Specifics of work of the general practitioner (the family doctor) are in many respects more justified and favorable to doctors and patients. First of all it is caused by the fact that having in addition to therapeutic education knowledge of narrower medical specialties (otolaryngology, an infection, nephrology, gastroenterology, cardiology) installation of the diagnosis happens quicker.

Besides, observing constantly a family, the doctor knows also the family anamnesis that allows to minimize time of inspection and allows to record a disease at the earliest stages of its development.

Appointment of the general practice

Appointment of the general practice happens, as a rule, at home or in a day hospital. It depends on each case – need to make the diagnosis to the small child or to conduct the diagnostic testings demanding the special equipment.

However outpatient appointment of the family doctor has a number of the shortcomings, the most important of which is the impossibility to carry out treatment in a hospital. It happens it is necessary in cases of maintaining urgent therapeutic pathology, and also for all types of the surgical help.

Also difficulties are caused by outpatient appointment of the family doctor in cases of difficult pathologies where consultation of the narrow specialist is necessary (for example, the immunologist-allergist or the cardiologist-rheumatologist), and also if necessary to use the modern equipment which large medical institutions, as a rule, have for diagnosis.

Duties of the general practitioner

Treats a circle of functions of the general practitioner:

Medical observation and rendering in need of the qualified help with use of modern diagnostic methods, prevention and treatment. Also in certain cases its duty includes also development of rehabilitation actions;
Obtaining reliable diagnostic information. Diagnosis should be carried out to minimum short terms to establish the diagnosis. Depending on a condition of the patient the family doctor can make changes to the medical plan and to appoint additional inspections;
Diagnosis, and in certain cases its confirmation, on the basis of collecting the anamnesis, clinical observations and inspections and these clinical laboratory researches;
Appointment and control of necessary treatment, diagnostic procedures and rehabilitation actions.

Also family doctor is often recruited in conducting the examinations connected with temporary disability and the circle of its duties includes preparation of necessary documents for medico-social examination.

How to receive a profession of the general practitioner (the family doctor)

To receive a profession of the general practitioner (the family doctor) it is necessary to have the higher medical education with the subsequent postgraduate preparation or specialization in "The general medical practice (family medicine)".

As the family doctor has to have in addition to therapeutic various highly specialized knowledge, training can take up to 10 years.

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