Why should you care about a general practitioner? Many individuals may struggle to give you an answer if you ask them. Your health is important, and it’s critical that you have a dedicated general practitioner (GP) on your side who can assist you throughout the healthcare system. If you’re looking for a compelling reason to choose a GP, look no further.
GPs Are Versed in Your History
When you visit several doctors, each one knows only the information you volunteer at the time of your appointment. When you see a GP, he or she can send all relevant medical documents to a specialist. When you don’t have a basic physician that you see every time you visit the doctor for general healthcare, you’re essentially starting from scratch when it comes to establishing a doctor-patient relationship.
The initial time you visit a general practitioner, he or she will go through your complete medical history. Then, each time you come in to see them, they’ll add to your medical file. They can keep track of everything that works and doesn’t for your medical issues, as well as any allergies you have and the specifics of your past.
GPs are generalist medical specialists.
When a specialist specializes in a certain area, they focus on that part of your body first. While this is fantastic if you have one particular problem, seeing a generalist to detect when your health changes and to figure out what’s wrong when you start to develop symptoms is critical.
GPs, as generalists, are trained to look at your entire body with a broad field of view. They gain a wealth of expertise that they may apply to you in order to determine the source of your problems.
GPs Can Coordinate Care Without Interruptions
It’s difficult for a doctor to connect your treatment with specialists or other medical facilities if they don’t know you or your history. This can lead to delays in receiving the therapy you need, as well as service denials if the doctor doesn’t have a medically-justified reason.
Your doctor is the one who will direct all of your continuing care, taking into account your medical history and knowing you as a patient, after you have been discharged. They can refer you to other health experts or a specialist in medicine. This increases the likelihood that paperwork will be completed correctly and promptly.
GPs Can Provide Preventative Health Advice
Preventing problems is frequently much easier than attempting to repair something after you’ve already developed symptoms. Because your doctor doesn’t know your history, he or she may be unable to give preventative health care because they are unfamiliar with you. They may not be aware of your family history, any previous illnesses, or issues you’ve had before.
There are several places where your GP can give you preventative health guidance, including but not limited to the following:
- Immunizations are given to prevent illnesses.
- Check your skin, breasts, and PAP smears to look for or prevent cancer early.
- Reduce your chance of heart disease by quitting smoking, monitoring your blood pressure on a regular basis, lowering cholesterol levels, and maintaining a healthy weight.
- Steps to prevent diabetes and early detection
Your doctor will be able to diagnose this condition without much difficulty.
Chronic Illnesses Can Be Handled by GPs
If you have a chronic condition, you may be subjected to a variety of medical testing and referrals that generate a lengthy and complicated medical history. It’s impossible to describe all of this to each new doctor, and mistakes and lost information are common problems. You could wind up having the same tests done numerous times.
A GP excels at treating long-term ailments such as asthma, diabetes, and arthritis, and can develop a Care Plan based on your specific needs. Having a Care Plan in place allows you to take more control over the management of your condition.
GPs Reduce the Margin for Error:
Mistakes in healthcare can be deadly. You run the danger of making mistakes if you see a doctor who doesn’t have your medical file and relies on you to inform him/her everything. Unless you bring a copy of your current file with you, the margin for error is enormous. Prescribing drugs is especially prone to error.
GPs have a recall system in place that may be used to double-check all of your chart data before they attempt a new treatment or medication. Because they know you, they are less prone to make mistakes when it comes to your health.
Knowledge of the Surrounding Area
Some hospitals and clinics hire mobile doctors who are unfamiliar with the area. They may not be able to tell you what therapies or specialists are accessible in your region. As a result, your treatment may be delayed because of this.
A great deal of GPs operate and reside in the same areas, so they may provide you with lists of specialists. They might be able to suggest you to other doctors who are better qualified than you are. They may even recommend you to them.