Your first experience with a General Practitioner (GP) was probably with your family doctor as a child. A GP would usually form long-term relationships with you and your family, providing continual primary healthcare. They generally treat common illnesses and medical conditions and perform routine checks and examinations to allow you and your family to remain in a good state of health.
Visits to your GP should not happen only when you are not feeling up to scratch or when you are in a bad state of mind. Regular check-ups are recommended, whether you are feeling healthy or not, as your general practitioner focuses on your overall physical and mental health.
It is in your best interests for your doctor to be familiar with your healthcare needs both when you are in peak condition and when you are not. This way, they will have a broader perspective of your medical well-being and have documented records to work from if there are developments that concern you.
Regular visits to your GP would also detect medical and other health concerns at an early developmental stage and your practitioner will be able to offer solutions or begin treatment before they develop into more serious conditions. Their principal function is to ensure that you, your family and the community they serve remain fit and healthy.
For most concerns you may have regarding your or your family's mental and physical well-being, you would first approach your GP for guidance and advice. One of their many functions would include assessing the patient with a physical exam in conjunction with the aforementioned documented medical history which they should be familiar with.
Following the medical examination, they may recommend immediate treatment or they might require additional tests to confirm their initial observations. In the event of them diagnosing more serious conditions, they would refer the patient to a specialist for more advanced care.
The care your family doctor would provide includes immunisations, mental health checks, chronic (or long-term) care for illness or other conditions, routine health checks and exams and references to specialists. They play an essential role in health education and providing preventative treatment options. Additionally, in the event of an emergency, a GP can perform immediate trauma care, stabilising the patient while providing life-saving medical assistance until the emergency services arrive.
Online Consultation Services - The Modern-Day Duty of a General Practitioner
Following the pandemic and associated lockdowns, many people have become familiar and more comfortable communicating with bosses, colleagues, friends and loved ones using live video platforms for conversations and meetings, both professionally and personally.
Therefore, patients may feel more at ease having consultations online with their doctors, which saves time and allows for bedridden patients, and those with disabilities or chronic illnesses to be treated without having to travel to their doctors' rooms.
General practitioners form part of a large medical community, including nurses, pharmacists, specialists, psychologists, and others. This team of medical professionals focus on providing holistic medical treatment and support to you and your family’s overall health and well-being. Your GP can assist you with many routine and more serious conditions. So, there are many reasons why you should consult with them regularly, including:
Your doctor is your first line of defence in the early detection of health conditions. If you have a history in your family of chronic illness, are a high-risk candidate for a chronic condition, or are experiencing signs and symptoms, these screenings will benefit your health and peace of mind and allow your doctor to prescribe preventative medicine timeously.
How to Find the Perfect GP
Should you be in search of a new family doctor, the medical community at Intercare Medical and Dental Centres would like to make suggestions on how to conduct your search.
If you have medical aid, a great place to start is there:
What to Look for In an Initial Consultation
Your health and well-being are based on a close partnership between you and your doctor. It is a team effort. Therefore, communication is key and there are certain non-negotiable factors you need to consider, for example:
If the answer is no to any of these questions, consider continuing your search or reach out to the doctors at Intercare.
At Intercare Medical and Dental Centres, all our healthcare professionals are under one roof – from your choice of general practitioner, dentist and specialist to the pharmacy where you fill your prescriptions. We are conveniently located in most major cities in South Africa and the suburbs which surround them. Contact an Intercare Medical and Dental Centre near you.
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