Family doctors provide health services to patients of all ages. They treat chronic conditions, diagnose symptoms, provide preventive care and notify you when you need a specialist. You should not only visit your family doctor when you are sick, but annual checkups are essential to check for infections that may not present symptoms. In most cases, family practice Arlington doctors work in private clinics. They can also operate in community and hospital settings. Family doctors can specialize in various medical fields like sports medicine, public health, and urgent care. Family doctors provide many medical services, including:
Treat acute illnesses and injuries
When you or your family member becomes sick or injured, your doctor can treat these issues independently without the help of specialists. Your family doctor can treat mild fractures, flu and cold, pneumonia, allergies, and stomach infections. Acute conditions do not have long-term health effects. If your problem does not improve after your family doctor’s care, the provider can refer you to a specialist for further diagnosis.
Disease prevention measures
Disease prevention measures are one of the essential services your family doctor performs. Hygiene measures, a healthy diet plan, regular exercise, and avoiding illegal drugs and alcohol are the primary disease preventive measures. Newborn immunization and vaccination of highly infectious conditions are other services your doctor can offer. If there is an outbreak of a disease, your family doctor will talk to you about it and ways to prevent the infection.
Chronic conditions management
Your family doctor can treat and monitor chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, heart issues, arthritis, skin problems, and asthma. The family members can coordinate with your doctor to help you refill medications and take the correct dosage. The family doctor can also manage your chronic condition by monitoring your diet by helping you have a healthy nutrition plan and proper lifestyle habits.
Referrals to health specialists
If you experience a disease that requires a medical specialist, like a heart condition, your family doctor can refer you to a reliable professional. During the treatment period, the family doctor can liaise with the specialist to coordinate and monitor your prescription and condition. Sometimes, health insurance policies require you to get a referral to a specialist from your family doctor.
Routine checkups and exams
Your family doctor can do routine checks for chronic diseases like checking blood sugar levels for diabetes and blood pressure for hypertension. A cholesterol test is also essential as high cholesterol may not show symptoms for early treatment and management. Your family doctor can perform men’s health screenings such as prostate exams and female exams such as annual pap smears. Yearly physicals, newborn checkups, and sports physicals are other routine exams your doctor can do.
Disease diagnosis
Although physical examination and symptoms can help diagnose your condition, your doctor may do a further evaluation to determine the root cause of your problem. Screenings such as blood tests, CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging, X-rays, or urine tests can provide better information about your issues. Proper diagnosis helps your family doctor come up with a suitable treatment plan.
Family doctors prevent, diagnose, treat and monitor various medical conditions to promote overall health. Schedule an appointment at JAM Wellness Clinics for family doctor services to improve your quality of life.
