Vivekananda Hospital
Department of General Physician
A general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who is qualified in medicine and is often the first point of contact for someone of any age and gender. They do not specialize in one particular area of medicine, but they treat a wide range of health conditions from acute to chronic diseases including fever, cold, stomach upset, vomiting, headache, nausea, cough, hypertension, diabetes etc. They usually have regular, long-term patients and provide ongoing health care to the entire family. A general practitioner can also be called as Primary healthcare provider. Usually people visit a General practitioner or family physician as a first step when they have any health problem other than an emergency.
GPs work as a part of team of doctors and play an important role in guiding the patients to specific medical specialities. As GPs are usually first point of contact for any patient, they examine and evaluate the severity of the disease or condition. They may recommend basic lab tests like blood test, X-ray or ultrasound to assess the condition. Based on their evaluation, if they feel patient needs further examination from a specialist, they refer the patient to the concerned medical speciality like an Internal medicine specialist, Dermatologist, Surgeon or Gynecologist.
What services are provided by a General Practitioner?
- 1.Promotion of healthy practices
- 2. Examination and treatment of people with health issues
- 3. Educating people about prevention of diseases
- 4. Early intervention
- 5. Management of ongoing and long-term illnesses