Who are family physicians, and what do they do?
Family physicians, also known as family doctors or family practice physicians, provide preventative care and treatment for chronic conditions. They are the first healthcare professionals that people consult for any medical condition or general checkup. They work with all populations and practice in private and public settings.
Family physicians perform routine checkups for babies and children, health risk assessments for adults, and screening tests and immunizations for patients of all age groups. They diagnose and treat common chronic illnesses, make appropriate referrals to specialists, and advise patients on healthy lifestyle changes.
Training and qualifications of family physicians
Becoming a licensed family practice physician takes at least ten years of education and rigorous training. In the U.S., one must complete the following to practice:
- An undergraduate degree program in some related science field
- Four years of medical school
- Board exams conducted by the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) or Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States (COMLEX-USA)
- Residency for 3 or 4 years with rotations in all medical specialties
- Board certification exam conducted by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) or American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians (AOBFP)
- Appropriate license test for the state
Continuing medical education (CME) for family physicians
Once a family physician completes their standard education, they are required to engage in continuing medical education.
Continuing Medical Education (CME) refers to the process that helps family physicians and other health professionals stay current in the field and upgrade and maintain their skills and knowledge. CME includes a set of activities derived from several instructional domains. These activities are learner-centered and promote the ability of these professionals to deliver high-quality, all-inclusive, continuous patient care and service to the masses and their profession.
There are two divisions of CME: Division I and Division II. Activities under Division I include:
- Scientific sessions: Offered by accredited medical schools or other organizations such as AOA, AAFP, or ABMS medical specialty boards.
- CME conferences, workshops, or face-to-face training: Any workshop, seminar, or face-to-face training entails AMA Category I CME, AAFP prescribed, AAFP Elective, AOA Category 1-A, AOA Category 1-B, or AOA Category 2-A CME credit.
- Home study: Home study correspondence course that qualifies for AMA Category I CME, AAFP Elective, AAFP Prescribed, AOA Category 1-A, AOA Category 1-B, AOA Category 2-A, or AOA Category 2-B CME credit upon completion.
- Hospital meetings, medical society meetings, or grand rounds: Scientific portions of hospital meetings, county medical society meetings, or grand rounds with documentation from the sponsoring organization listing the specific title, location, date, and number of credits.
- Full-time accredited family medicine residency or fellowship in family medicine: Full-time trainee status in an AOA or ACGME accredited family medicine residency or a fellowship in family medicine.
- Full-time accredited residency or fellowship in a non-family medicine program: Full-time trainee status in an AOA or ACGME accredited residency or fellowship program in a discipline other than family medicine.
- CME activities carrying AMA category I, AAFP prescribed CME, or AOA: CME activities carrying AMA Category I CME, AAFP Prescribed, AAFP Elective, AOA Category 1-A, or AOA Category 1-B CME credit such as documented point of care learning, completing of a Life Support Course, participation in quality improvement projects, or formal educational courses (virtual or face to face), etc.
- An educational program of a university or college with a defined curriculum: Accredited from a recognized institutional accrediting an agency or an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
- Faculty development fellowships: Full- or part-time faculty development fellowships are offered by AOA or ACGME-accredited residency programs.
- Knowledge development team: Members of a self-assessment activity Knowledge Development Team for Family Medicine Certification that receive AMA Category I CME, AAFP prescribed CME, or AOA Category 1-B.
Activities under Division II include:
- Teaching, presentations, judging clinical case presentations or posters
- Individual medically-related educational activities not formally accredited
- Review of manuscripts
- Publications and research
Subspecialties of family medicine
Family medicine emphasizes holistic patient care, where physicians are extensively trained to deliver comprehensive healthcare addressing various ailments. This leads to a wide array of subspecialties within the field:
- Adolescent medicine: It specializes in the healthcare needs of teenagers, addressing physical, emotional, and social aspects of their well-being. Physicians in this field provide confidential care, guidance on developmental issues, and management of adolescent-specific health concerns such as puberty, mental health, and substance abuse.
- Geriatric medicine: It focuses on the health and well-being of older adults, addressing age-related changes, chronic conditions, and complex medical needs. Physicians in this field provide comprehensive care tailored to older patients, emphasizing quality of life, functional independence, and management of geriatric syndromes like falls, dementia, osteoporosis, delirium, sleep problems, etc.
- Hospice and palliative medicine offer specialized care for patients with life-limiting illnesses and focus on symptom management, comfort, and quality of life. Physicians in this field provide holistic support to patients and their families, addressing physical, emotional, and spiritual needs to enhance dignity and ease suffering during end-of-life care.
- Pain medicine specializes in diagnosing and managing acute and chronic pain conditions, employing multidisciplinary approaches to improve patient's quality of life. Physicians in this field utilize various interventions in both hospital and outpatient settings, including medication management and interventional procedures.
- Sleep medicine entails diagnosing and treating sleep disorders like narcolepsy, insomnia, and sleep apnea. Physicians in this field evaluate sleep patterns, conduct sleep studies, and develop personalized treatment plans to improve sleep quality and overall well-being. They utilize a range of interventions, including lifestyle modifications, medications, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
- Sports medicine entails preventing, diagnosing, and treating physical activity-related injuries and sports participation. Physicians in this field work with athletes of all levels to optimize performance, manage acute and chronic injuries, and promote safe training practices. Treatment approaches may include rehabilitation, exercise prescription, and minimally invasive procedures.
Common reasons for seeing family physicians
You can visit a family physician near you to get consultation for chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, kidney illness, and asthma. They provide the initial consultation and treatment, and when cases require specialist intervention, they make appropriate referrals to the concerned specialists. They coordinate with specialists and keep track of the patient's medical conditions and treatment prescriptions.
They independently diagnose and treat flu, colds, bronchitis, common ear infections, pneumonia, stomach pain, allergies, and sprains and perform routine wellness and annual checkups for patients of all age groups. They also provide specific health screenings for men (like prostate exams) and women (pelvic exams and pap smears). A family practice physician administers immunizations and vaccinations for patients of all ages. Some also give counseling for quitting smoking, alcohol, and substance abuse.
How is internal medicine and family medicine different?
Internal and family medicine overlap in treatment types; however, the doctors who study internal medicine (internists) and family medicine (family physicians) have very different educational backgrounds and treatment focus. Internal medicine doctors focus on subspecialties within the field, such as rheumatology, endocrinology, and infectious diseases. In comparison, family physicians focus more on chronic health conditions and behavioral issues.
While an internist practices in both in-patient and outpatient settings, a family physician, on the other hand, concentrates in outpatient centers. Furthermore, internal medicine doctors focus on adults, but family physicians diagnose and treat patients of all ages.
The key to a healthy diet
The key to a good diet is consuming the proper amount of calories the body requires. Your calorie intake will depend on your activity level to balance energy intake and consumption appropriately. Hence, it is vital to have a balanced diet containing all the necessary nutrients for your body.
Here are some practical tips to help you make healthier choices:
- High-fiber starchy carbohydrates should account for over a third of your daily calorie intake. You can go with potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, and cereal, which benefit your health. Additionally, wholewheat pasta and brown rice are higher in fiber than white or refined starchy carbohydrates. They also keep you full for a long time.
- Lots of fruits and vegetables: Professionals advise taking at least five servings of different fruits and vegetables daily—fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or juiced options.
- More fish: Fish is an excellent protein source with various vitamins and minerals. You should aim for at least two portions of fish every week, including at least one portion of fatty fish.
- Limit saturated fat and sugar: Foods containing saturated fat include sausages, butter, hard cheese, cream, cakes, biscuits, pies, etc. Though these are delicious, there are set limits for healthy saturated fat intake, which you should abide by. It is 30g and 20g per day for males and females, respectively. Also, regularly enjoying sugary meals and drinks raises your chances of obesity and tooth damage. Thus, cutting down on sugary fizzy drinks, breakfast cereals, pastries and puddings, sweets and chocolate, and alcoholic beverages is a wiser choice.
- Regular exercise: Working out more often and maintaining a healthy weight is essential. It reduces the risk of many conditions and diseases. In particular, obesity can lead to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke. Moreover, being underweight also negatively affects your health.
What happens at a family physician appointment?
A family practice physician begins their assessment by asking about medical and surgical history, medication history, lifestyle, and wellness habits. They check the patient's vital signs, which include temperature, blood pressure, heartbeat, and breathing rate. The physical examination will evaluate the head, neck, stomach, and skin. Depending on the patient's complaints, they may order routine blood and urine tests. These tests help in detecting chronic conditions such as diabetes and cholesterol.
Family physicians refer patients for examinations, such as pap smears and mammograms in women, and screen for sexual diseases and osteoporosis. They also refer patients for colorectal and prostate exams and screen for aneurysms in men. In addition to administering immunizations and vaccinations, family physicians perform wellness examinations for babies and track their growth and development.
Locating the best family physician near you in Pearland, Texas
One of the best online portals to search for top-rated family physicians in Pearland, Texas, is Zocdoc. The platform allows you to find instantly and screen family physicians without creating an account. Doctors are filtered based on your address, zip code, medical condition, preferred appointment date, and current medical insurance policy. Once you enter your details in the search box, Zocdoc will immediately filter through the doctors practicing in Pearland and present you with a curated list of the ones that perfectly match your requirements.
All family physicians on Zocdoc have a profile detailing their background and field experience. The profile lists the degrees completed, certifications obtained, and information on their accreditations, affiliations, and awards previously received in their field. The bio also contains information on when and where the doctors are available for consultation, their gender, languages they are fluent in, age group of patients, and medical conditions they usually treat.
Relationships with family physicians are often long-term, and insurance coverage relieves the burden considerably. Zocdoc gives instant information on the top-rated doctors who accept your insurance policy and plan. Choose your insurance type from the drop-down menu, and Zocdoc will let you know if the family physician near you is available for consultation.
Also, to simplify the process, just add an image of your medical insurance card, and we will help you correctly select your insurance plan. However, this isn’t mandatory. If you would rather skip the upload and manually add your insurance information to your account by picking it from a list, you are free to do so. For any insurance-related concerns, visit Zocdoc’s patient help center.
All bookings on Zocdoc are fast, free, and secure!
Statistical overview of family medicine in Texas
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics issued a May 2021 report titled "Occupational Employment and Wages." According to this report, Texas was one of the five states in the U.S. with the highest number of licensed family physicians employed. Approximately 6,860 family physicians were practicing in Texas, but the location quotient for the state was lower than the average (0.77). The location quotient is achieved by dividing the number of family physicians in Texas and the USA. If the number is less than one, then that particular field of employment has lower-than-average numbers.
The Texas Department of State Health Services published the "2021-2022 Update to the Texas State Health Plan". The report compared the targets set by Healthy People 2020 for various vaccinations with the numbers achieved in the previous years. The Healthy People 2020 target for MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccine was 90%; in 2017, Texas met this number (90.3%). Regarding flu shots or influenza vaccines, the target was 70% for all age groups. However, none of the age groups achieved them. 61.8% of kids between 6 months and 17 years took vaccinations against influenza, but the number was lower for adults over 18 (43.2%).
The same report stated the numbers for DTP and HPV vaccinations. The target for the DTP vaccine for kids between 19 and 35 months was 90%, and only 81.2% received all the doses in 2017. The target set for kindergartners was 95%, and in the 2018-2019 school year, 96.69% of kindergarteners took the vaccination. In 2020, the target for the HPV vaccine for adolescents between 13 and 17 years was 80%; however, only 57.8% took vaccination with at least one dose, and 39.7% had completed all the recommended doses.
Sources
WebMD
American College of Physicians
Healthline Media
Cleveland Clinic
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Texas Department of State Health Services
National Health Service
Medical University of the Americas
Nemours TeensHealth
HealthinAging.Org
Cleveland Clinic
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Board of Family Medicine
