The concept of Family doctors or family physicians is not new to India. Back in the day, every family had a family doctor or a family physician. The concept was relatively common both in megacities and lower municipalities across India. However, the economic liberalization and internet era, made it easier to fetch physicians and specialists closer home at the click of a button. Many people have moved away from the idea of having a family doctor.
While discussing the significance of Family Physicians to Dr. Vandana Boobna who is a certified Family medicines practitioner and has her expertise in Internal medicines too, we got to know innumerable advantages family physicians bring to their patient and their family.
1. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle
A family doctor who treats a person from childhood to adolescence and adulthood as well knows all the whereabouts associated with the person's medical history. They very well know all the health challenges faced in the past by their patients. This in turn helps the Doctor to assist their patients with the best medical solution at any point in need. They help in creating a routine for health checkups and can even advise screenings for specific diseases at the right time as the man reaches his middle age.
2. Knows Everything about family history and caters to all age groups.
Many conditions, allergies, and ailments are genetic. Family physicians are well aware of the genetic history of their patients which helps in preventing any chronic conditions which they may suffer. They tend to be like family members to their patients which makes them aware of other challenges a family may be facing such as job loss, parent’s divorce, the demise of a loved one, etc. This, in turn, helps in counseling or screening the children in the family for stress, depression, or any other psychological conditions. It's a wrong conception that family physicians are helpful only for mild ailments like common cold fever or feeble infections. Rather they have a thorough knowledge of pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, neurology, surgery, psychiatry, and much more. They specialized in treating the neonatal as well as the geriatric. Be it newborn immunization or flu shots, allergy injections, Obstetrics, prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum care, or chronic disease management in the middle-aged and old-aged group a family physician covers it all. Dr. Vandana says- "nearly 80% of the patient's ailments can be treated in their family Drs clinic itself "
3. Patient-centered approach
The Family doctor treats the patient not just the ailment. It focuses on the overall well-being of the patient and focuses on all aspects of illness.
4. Value for Life & money.
In a country like India where the medical treatments are quite, expensive Family doctors have evolved as a boon.
The cost of providing specialty care far outweighs the cost of primary care. According to the various studies made in India as well as outside the nation, it is well noticed that family doctors can save lives by making the right recommendations to their patients and save their hard-earned money too.
The increasing trend toward specialization in medicine, combined with the supply of a decentralized approach to healthcare, increases the necessity for family physicians in the country as it cuts the requirement of specialties in medicine to provide a quality healthcare system.
