Primary care is important for a number of reasons. An expert primary care physician like Dr. Andrew Chow can be your first line of defense against illness and disease. They can also help you stay healthy by performing medical screening tests and providing preventive services like immunizations. Finally, they’re the providers who will coordinate your treatment with specialists if it’s necessary.
This article will answer some common questions that people have about primary care, like:
1. How is primary care different from emergency care?
Primary care physicians are there to manage medical problems that don’t require prompt hospital care. They handle routine check-ups, follow patients for a period of time, examine them for signs and symptoms of disease, offer advice on lifestyle changes and medications, and generally keep the patient under their expert care.
Emergency care, on the other hand, is what you need when the problem you’re facing is too serious to be handled by your regular doctor. An emergency room doctor treats the worst kinds of trauma cases, like those involving multiple fractures and open wounds. They also treat life-threatening conditions like heart attacks and certain kinds of poisoning.
2. How can primary care prevent future medical problems?
Your regular doctor can help you stay healthy and avoid medical complications in the future by recommending appropriate screenings and preventive services. For instance, many primary care physicians will order tests for cervical cancer or prostate cancer to make sure that their patients have early detection of diseases that can often be treated successfully. They will also routinely recommend immunizations like flu shots because these provide protection from seasonal viruses and other diseases.
In fact, primary care physicians work hard to keep their patients as healthy as possible. At the same time, they can refer these patients to specialists if additional diagnostic testing or treatment is needed.
3. What does it mean to be a primary care doctor?
The American Medical Association defines primary care physicians as doctors who work with patients to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. They focus on health issues that affect the whole person, including their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. A primary care physician’s job includes tending to the needs of adults and children, newborns, seniors, and people with chronic conditions. In fact, a true primary care physician will have a thorough understanding of the patient’s medical history as well as his or her family history.
