When you are in need of fast and reliable medical care for yourself or your family, you want to know the doctor that you are trusting is skilled and experienced to provide the best possible care. When you are looking for a family practice dr, it can be confusing to understand what to look for with the services that are provided.
Anyone who has been looking for a good family doctor can tell you there are likely many area doctors accepting new patients right nearby. But how do you choose one over another? What should you consider as essential services? What kinds of services and care options can be seen as non-negotiable? Many of these questions can only be answered by you and your family because it can hinge heavily on personalized care needs.
To find the best family practice providers a quick online search can be a great place to start. Simply type in the search bar something along the lines of “available doctors in my area” and see what result show up. From there, you can make a short list of doctors to call and then finally make the choice that is right for you and your family, based on research and sound information.
General practitioners are pretty well rounded, wouldn’t you say? Have the sniffles? See your GP. Have a minor illness or injury? See your GP. What if you have other problems like insomnia and ADHD? Or if you or someone you know has an alcohol or drug problem? Your GP can help out with all of that and more. There really is no tried and true family doctor job description as each one will handle different situations. Here’s a list of problems you may have that you probably wouldn’t expect to find on a textbook family doctor job description.
Drug and Alcohol Abuse Help
Does it surprise you to hear that over 5,000 trips to the ER each day are because of drug usage? Or to know that 10% of children live with a parent that abuses alcohol and that 20% of college students have an alcohol use disorder? A GP can take the place of a drug or alcohol detox center if the patient’s problem isn’t severe enough to be referred somewhere else. Not saying that you’ll be able to walk into your nearest urgent care center and begin a detox, but if you consult your family doctor, he or she should be able to get you on the right track.
Mental Illnesses
Are you easily distracted? Do you zone out or have difficulty paying attention to people? Do you overlook details and struggle to complete tasks? You may be an adult with ADD or ADHD — one of millions in the United States. This disorder can be affecting your sleep negatively as ADHD and insomnia go hand in hand. If your attention span is just fine but, but you have horrible anxiety, you’re not alone. Anxiety disorders affect 18% of the U.S., making them the most common mental illness. Your family doctor can address these issues and give you the peace of mind you deserve.
Hormone Problems
Do you have persistent weight gain, a low libido, or an over-active digestive system? Do you suffer from unexplained anxiety, depression, or fatigue? You may have a hormone imbalance. Your GP will be able to perform a hormone balance test to make sure everything’s right with your body. Fixing the problem is simple! Even just a little bit of extra natural testosterone can restore your energy. Once discovered he or she can administer hormone injections or pills to balance everything out.
Though dealing with hormonal imbalances, mental illnesses, and drug and alcohol problems aren’t what you would expect to find in a typical family doctor job description, if you’re interested in this field, you’d better be prepared for diversity.