Last Friday, a young man with a sore throat asked me, “I am young and healthy but should I find a family doctor?” I told him the five benefits of having a family doctor and he was thrilled. To be fair to everyone, I will share these secrets.
Benefit #1: You get double attention from your family physician
We all hope there is enough time in the doctor appointments to discuss problems, concerns, or fears. The family physician usually books 20 to 25 patients per day (over 8 hours) to ensure they have adequate time and attention with their own patients to sort the problems out, while at the walk in clinic, the physician sees average 40-50 patients over 8 hours. If you do the math, you can easily conclude that your family physician spends double the amount of time to solve your problems.
Besides the face-to-face attention, your family physician spends considerable extra time in reviewing your charts, investigations, consults and up-to-date researches to help you achieve better health.
On the top of the above, many family physicians make themselves available for urgent phone consults to direct the best care. Some family physicians even offer same day appointments when your need is urgent.
Benefit #2: Your family physician is your personal health trainer
Like your Abs, health is not built by itself. We all are going through the cycle of life and we need planning and dedication to achieve optimal health. The good news is that you can hire your family physician, who with extensive training and knowledge will be your personal health trainer – for free!
Example health training programs include smoking cessation, weight loss, diet modification, exercise regime and supplement recommendations. None of them is easier than building biceps, but with psychological and medical supports from your family physician, you will have individualized plans to achieve the goals.
What’s more, your family physician is the expert of preventative health. Based on your family history, medical history and current condition, your family physician will recommend screening tests such as mammogram, colonoscopy, PAP smear, prostate check, diabetes screening, hypertension screening, etc at the appropriate stages.
Benefit #3: Your family physician provides holistic care.
The best care is treating the whole person, not just the symptoms of disease.
Your family physician gets to know you over a period of time. They get a sense of the person you are. They can get to know your values, your family situation, your job pressures, and maybe even your goals. These physical, environmental, mental, emotional and spiritual factors can all have a profound affect on your health. Knowledge of these things may provide valuable information as they assess what is troubling you. As a result, your family physician can not only treat your illnesses but also guide you to evoke the healing power of love, hope, humour and enthusiasm and to release the toxic consequences of depression, fear, anger and grief.
Benefit #4: The trust relationships with your family physician.
Family physicians cherish the opportunity to build a long-term relationship with the patient and their families because it is a privilege to walk with the patient along the life journey.
This mutual trust relationship enables the patients to raise concerns and feel comfortable divulging private information and asking important questions that might otherwise go unasked. A case in point, you are more likely to discuss the mood changes with your family physician than the specialists or other point of care physicians.
This enduring respect relationship enables your family physician to recognize physical and emotional changes in the patients just from talking to them. For example, if you complain of fatigue to a doctor who doesn’t know you, you might not be taken seriously – but your primary care doctor will be able to see that you aren’t your usual self.
Benefit #5: Your family doctor is your resource centre.
Your family physician has many contacts with the community resources, medical resources and social services.
For example, in the cases when a specialist’s care is needed, your family doctor will serve as an advocate and coordinate your care with the specialist, helping you navigate new information and recommendations. Many patients feel confused and frustrated with going through the maze-like health care system. If you have your family physician as your guide, the journey will be smoother and easier.
Another example, most of Alberta family physicians belong to the Primary Care Network which is an organization that provides many extra services such as dietician consult for weight management, social worker for financial support, walking/exercising program, blood pressure monitoring, etc. If you have a family doctor, you will be able to access these excellent services.
Considering all the benefits the patients could receive from their family physicians, it’s not surprising that Canadian research shows that having a regular family doctor improves health outcomes, reduces mortality, decreases hospitalizations and reduces health-care costs.
Now it’s your choice to take the advantage of having a trustworthy family doctor in your neighbourhood.
