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Family Medicine

Family Medicine

Family medicine covers a broad range of patient care as family doctors care for people of all ages. Family medicine practitioners are tasked with providing preventative care, diagnosing symptoms, treating acute and chronic health conditions and facilitating further referrals when necessary.

Family medicine Singapore physicians are registered doctors who have acquired core competencies in clinical care, person-centred care, continuing care and community-based health delivery.

What Is Family Medicine?

Family medicine physicians provide primary health care from infants to senior patients. These tasks include:

  • Routine check-ups for babies, children and adults
  • Health risk assessments
  • Serving as primary care or first contact for patients
  • Referring and coordinating specialist treatment
  • Promoting a healthy lifestyle and preventative measures
  • Administering immunizations
  • Treating chronic conditions and local diseases


Unlike other specialties that focus on an organ, family medicine practitioners should be qualified to diagnose and manage a broad range of healthcare, particularly for conditions that may not need a specialist’s intervention – for example, emergency care, flu and cold symptoms, fractures, pneumonia and bronchitis, stomach viruses and seasonal allergies, to name a few. These conditions can be treated by your family doctor.

Family medicine clinic Singapore is designed to serve communities in remote locations, with limited resources, higher levels of poverty and other factors that may not necessarily give them the means to consult specialists for their health concerns.

When Should You See a Family Medicine Physician?

The importance of family medicine cannot be overstated. These health practitioners can help you with these needs:

  • Immediate Care for Illness and Injury
    • Family medicine is the most accessible form of health care in a community. When an individual gets sick or injured, the family physician can administer general treatments without passing it on to a specialist. The family doctor is equipped to perform routine exams to determine the nature of illness. Patients can receive check-ups, annual physical exams, health screenings and annual pap smears, to name a few.

  • Chronic Disease Management
    • Your family doctor can monitor chronic conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, pulmonary disease and more.

  • Specialist Referral
    • Family medicine doctors serve as primary care providers. They are a good starting point for patients who want to consult them about an undetermined condition. Your family doctor can give you a referral to proper specialists and coordinate the process. Once you begin treatment with a specialist, the family medicine physician can also work with the specialist for prescriptions and monitoring after your consultation.

Family Medicine Is Accessible Health Care

Developing a reliable connection with a family medicine physician is essential regardless of age. They are the communities’ first line of contact regarding general health care concerns. With a long-term relationship, your family doctor can make health recommendations and disease management based on your health history, lifestyle habits, medications and other wellness concerns.

Resources

  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29290201/
  • https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259986980_Family_Medicine_Specialty_in_Singapore
  • https://www.acponline.org/about-acp/about-internal-medicine/career-paths/medical-student-career-path/internal-medicine-vs-family-medicine

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