Family practice is the medical specialty in which providers provide comprehensive, patient-centered primary health care to patients and their families. Providers who practice family medicine can provide routine wellness care, such as physical exams or preventative care, to patients, regardless of age, gender, health or social status. They are also trained to know about many areas of medicine so that they are equipped to treat a wide variety of conditions.
Family practices often staff a team of professionals that can help provide a continuity of care to patients, including nurse practitioners, provider assistants and others.
There is often a great need for family practice provider in medically underserved communities where patients have limited access to hospitals and specialists, such as rural areas or overseas. Members of these communities may suffer from low health literacy and more chronic conditions. Additionally, they may have access to fewer resources, underscoring the importance of compassionate, well-trained family providers.
The Purpose of Family Practice
The goal of the family practice specialty is to provide continual, comprehensive care to an individual. Family practice advocates believe that seeing many different specialists can sometimes result in fragmented care.
But providers who practice family practice are trained in providing coordination of care and will refer patients to specialists when necessary. Frequently, they can also provide information about other community resources or health services. Some practitioners are even prepared to deliver babies or perform minor surgeries.
Some of the services that family nurse practitioners offer may include:
- Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of chronic disease
- Immediate care for sudden and serious illness or injury
- Routine physical exams as well as sports clearance physical exams
- Vaccinations
- Preventative medicine
- Allergies
- Constipation
- Coughs
- Ear pain
- Eye infections
- Flu-like symptoms
- Heartburn/indigestion
- Nausea and vomiting
- Sinus pain and infections
- Sore throat
- Upper respiratory illness
- Urinary symptoms
Family practice providers may also be trained in a number of settings such as:
- Family practice
- Geriatric care
- Rehab - post acute care
- Addiction
- Hospice and palliative care
- Mental health
- Long Term Care
Those over the age of two are welcome to book a same day visit.
The Benefits of Family Practice
Providers who practice family practice can treat patients regardless of age, gender, social status or health issue. Having a family practice provider allows all members of the family, from infancy to an elderly age, to see the same provider. This enables the provider to develop a trusting and genuine personal relationship with the family, which can result in better care.
A family practice provider who cares for a family over a period of years may also be able to provide better guidance about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, especially if the provider knows the family's medical history firsthand or has seen patterns of health problems. By adapting lifestyle changes and new health habits, patients may be able to avoid costly medications or procedures that can later affect them. Generally, specialists treat conditions that already afflict a patient.
Family medicine providers are equipped to treat chronic disease, ongoing health needs or other conditions and can help a patient develop a personalized, cost-effective treatment plan.
The providers most commonly found in underserved areas are those who practice family practice. Family practice practitioners can help create a health care system with an emphasis on equitable care that is accessible to and affordable for all patients.
