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Who is a family physician?

A specialist trained in family medicine is called a family physician or a family practice doctor. The World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) enumerates family medicine as a division of primary care to provide personal, comprehensive, and continuing healthcare to all family members. Family practice doctors play a pivotal role in the entire community from the medical care perspective. They cater to various physical and mental disorders in people of all ages.

Education background of a family physician

A family physician must complete four years of formal education in a medical school and then clear one of two exams —the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) or the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX) for those opting for osteopathic medicine.

They must then undergo a three-year residency in family medicine. During this residency, they receive training in six disciplines: obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, internal medicine, psychiatry and neurology, surgery, and community medicine.

After their residency, they can procure certification from accredited organizations, such as the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS), or the American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Osteopathic Specialties (AOABOS).

What are the subspecialties within family medicine?

According to the American Board of Family Medicine, a family doctor may specialize in one of the following areas of medicine:

• Hospice and palliative medicine: Professionals in this specialization treat those with life-threatening illnesses. They collaborate with palliative or hospice care teams to meet the patients' and their families' social, physical, spiritual, and psychological needs and improve their quality of life.
• Pain medicine: Pain medicine specialists treat patients experiencing chronic, acute, or cancer-related pain. They work in outpatient and hospital settings and coordinate with other specialists to provide the best possible treatment.
• Adolescent medicine: It is a multidisciplinary healthcare specialty that focuses on adolescents' social, physical, and psychological aspects, covering their ailments and healthcare requirements.
• Geriatric medicine: This family medicine branch focuses on caring for older people and preventing, diagnosing, managing, recovering from, and treating their medical issues. Professionals in this field work at patient homes, offices, hospitals, and nursing homes. 
• Sleep medicine: Specialists of this branch diagnose and manage clinical disorders that impact sleep quality or disrupt the normal wake-sleep cycle. They interpret and analyze comprehensive polysomnography and operate a sleep laboratory.
• Sports medicine: As the term suggests, sports medicine focuses on sports and exercise-related injuries or conditions. It also addresses disorders and illnesses that impact athletes' physical performance. 
• Healthcare administration: A physician with in-depth knowledge of healthcare administration concentrates on organizational performance, patient satisfaction, process improvement, and patient safety. They collaborate with stakeholders to develop a robust and patient-centered healthcare system.

Role of a family physician

Unlike other specialists who are experts in a specific organ malfunction or a particular type of disorder, a family physician can handle multiple medical conditions in everyone, from infants to senior citizens. Their comprehensive healthcare approach includes:

1. Practicing preventive care: A family practice doctor can help prevent diseases from straining one's life. They discuss probable health hazards based on a patient's personal and family medical history. For example, if there's an extended medical history of diabetes, they may advise lifestyle changes and monitor blood sugar regularly from early adulthood. The same goes for heart diseases, cancer, rheumatic disorders, and other illnesses that may have a hereditary connection. Early diagnosis can prevent these deadly diseases from turning critical.
2. Treating common medical hazards: Seasonal changes, physical activities like weight lifting and sports, unexpected injuries, etc., can disrupt one's daily life. The go-to person in such circumstances is a family physician. They tend to have common ailments like flu, infections, allergies, burns, fractures, back pains, etc. They also refer to a subject-matter expert if the situation requires special attention. Family physicians also help mental health by counseling patients about stress management, fertility issues, anger management, weight and diet monitoring, and addictive habits like excessive smoking, alcohol consumption, etc. 
3. Managing chronic conditions: Several people suffer from chronic medical conditions like diabetes, asthma, heart anomalies, hypertension, gastroenterological problems, etc. A family physician can help regulate these chronic ailments by prescribing necessary medications and conducting periodic diagnostic tests. A family practice doctor advises regular checkups for unaffected family members to keep them healthy.

What distinguishes internal medicine from family medicine?

The difference between internal and family medicine confuses medical students and patients. While they seem relatively similar, there are significant differences between the two disciplines. 

Internal medicine developed in the late 1800s due to increased scientific application in medical practices. As a children-focused specialty, pediatrics started blossoming in the early 1900s, and internal medicine became more adult-centric. In the late 1960s, the general practitioner movement began to protect doctor-patient bonding and encourage continual care, thus giving rise to family physicians who are experts in handling various medical conditions affecting any family member.

While internists focus mainly on adult care (though some may include pediatric), family physicians are also required to gain childcare expertise. Internal medicine practitioners spend equal time in inpatient and outpatient training, whereas family medicine primarily focuses on outpatient care. Apart from the specialty training both undergo, family physicians concentrate on behavioral health problems, skin diseases, disease prevention, overall wellness, population health, and health system management.

What procedures do family physicians perform?

Family physicians can perform a wide range of procedures, some of which are as follows:

• Palliative care
• Newborn care and well-child visits
• Excision and biopsy of skin lesions
• Treating abscesses through incision and drainage
• Obstetric procedures, such as prenatal and postpartum care
• Administering flu shots, immunizations, and allergy injections
• Minor surgical procedures, including circumcision and vasectomy
• Conducting physical exams for schools, sports teams, summer camps, etc.
• Inserting and removing intrauterine devices (IUDs) and other contraceptive devices

What are the benefits of having a family physician?

Having a dedicated family physician has several advantages, such as:

• Convenience: Having a family doctor makes scheduling medical appointments and annual checkups easier and more convenient. Plus, your family doctor has your medical history on file. This saves you the time you would have to spend with other physicians by updating them on your past diagnoses, prescriptions, surgeries, etc.
• Cost-effective: Family physicians can detect early symptoms and prevent illnesses from worsening. This way, they save you money you would otherwise have to spend on long-term medical care. Further, they also save you the money you would spend on emergency room visits by offering preventive care and helping you maintain a healthy lifestyle.
• Broader visibility: Your family physician caters to your entire family. Therefore, they are typically better positioned to identify symptoms of disorders that pass on across generations. Moreover, information about your family's mental health also allows your family physician to spot psychiatric concerns and provide early treatment.
• Personalized care: Since family physicians treat you throughout your life, they can easily offer personalized medical assistance while considering your life situation, family history, and health goals.
• Referral: If your family doctor feels you need specialized treatment, they can refer you to the right doctor and work with them to ensure effective and affordable healthcare.

What should you anticipate when you visit your family physician?

When you visit a family physician near you, they will inquire about your health by posing a range of questions. They will also ask about your symptoms, the medications you are currently using, and your family's medical history. During the visit, your doctor might perform the following actions:

1. They will check for vital signs, including blood pressure, body temperature, heartbeat, and breathing rate.
2. They may request routine blood tests to screen for high cholesterol or diabetes.
3. Head and neck examination
4. Abdominal examination
5. Administer immunizations
6. Skin examination
7. Women will receive health screenings such as pap smears, osteoporosis screening, mammogram referrals, and sexual health screenings.
8. Men will receive health screenings such as prostate exams, screenings for aortic aneurysms, and referrals for colorectal exams.
9. Infants and children will undergo screenings to assess their growth.

If you have a condition like diabetes, they will question you regarding the symptoms and your current management approach and suggest lifestyle modifications to alleviate them.

Ensure that your family doctor comprehends your health condition and perspective. List these concerns if you have any new worrisome symptoms or inquiries about flu shots or other vaccines. Include health goals on the list, enabling your doctor to suggest lifestyle changes to achieve them, such as adopting a healthier diet or enjoying long walks with your loved ones without experiencing joint pain.

Having a loved one or family member accompany you for your first visit can be beneficial. They can help take notes or remind you to ask specific questions during the appointment.

How to find a suitable family physician near you in Austin, Texas?

Traditionally, family medicine experts have been associated with a family for generations. The convention often continues if the physician's successors also take up the same area of medical practice. It helps to see a particular physician regularly as they know the patient's medical history, allergies from specific medicines, insurance plans, etc. However, in several cases, such as when one has lost touch with their family doctor or recently relocated to a new city, they might be searching for a suitable physician to care for their family's health. 

Zocdoc is the ideal platform for finding an appropriate family physician and allows users to conduct an area-specific search to find their nearest doctor. Zocdoc maintains an individual profile of physicians with their academic credentials, professional certifications, and verified patient testimonials. One can use filters to find out a provider's gender, the languages they speak, their hospital affiliations, and whether or not they treat kids.

Before finalizing a family physician near you, you can even check if they accept your insurance plan. If you can't find your medical insurance plan on Zocdoc, upload a photo of your insurance card. Zocdoc will automatically scan the image and display the plan that is most likely for you. This feature isn't available for dental or vision insurance cards. If you face any issues while uploading the image, don't hesitate to contact Zocdoc's service team for assistance. Additionally, you can check out Zocdoc's patient help center for answers to any further insurance-related queries.

Once everything fits, Zocdoc helps schedule an in-person or virtual appointment according to the doctor's availability.

All bookings on Zocdoc are simple, secure, and free!

Statistics for family physicians in Texas

Some common diseases Americans visit their family physicians for are hypertension, arthritis, diabetes, back pain, pneumonia, depression, and routine health checkups. About 860 million people in America visit a physician in a year. Out of this, around 51.2% see a primary care physician.

According to a 2020 Health Professions Resource Center report, Texas has approximately 22,000 licensed primary care physicians. Of these, about 4,200 are in family practice, 3,400 are in family medicine, and 7,100 are in internal medicine. As per data collected in 2019 by the Texas Health and Human Services, the ratio of primary care physicians to the 100,000 population in Austin is around 33.1.

Sources

Intercoastal Medical Group

WebMD

Texas Medical Institute

American College of Physicians

Pallipedia

Texas Health and Human Services

Health Professions Resource Center

Mayo Clinic

Colorado Primary Health Care

American Board of Family Medicine

The content herein is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Medical information changes constantly, and therefore the content on this website should not be assumed to be current, complete or exhaustive. Always seek the advice of your doctor before starting or changing treatment. If you think you may have a medical emergency, please call your doctor or 9-1-1 immediately.