Are family doctors and internists the same?

No, family doctors and internists differ in that family doctors offer consultation for all ages, while internists consult solely for adults.

Can family medicine doctors perform general surgery?

While family doctors can perform simple outpatient procedures such as wound suturing and other tests, they typically do not perform surgical procedures.

How often should I visit my family medical center?

Depending on your age, you should schedule a visit to your family medical center near you at least once every quarter.

Are family doctors the same as general practitioners?

While there is a fair amount of overlap between both disciplines, family doctors’ services primarily revolve around family-oriented medical treatment.

One-stop healthcare for all your family members.

The term “family medicine” is a general term that encompasses medical care across multiple disciplines for people of all age groups. Family doctors may be associated with standalone clinics under their own practice or large multispecialty hospitals. For most families, they are a good touchstone to get an initial consultation and diagnosis for any medical issues they may be facing, such as varicose veins treatment.

The work of a family doctor and an internal medicine specialist share a lot of similarities. However, it is important to know the distinctions between specializations of medicine to ensure you get the appropriate and effective treatment at a family medical center.

- Both internal medicine doctors and family medicine doctors can provide treatment for a wide range of medical conditions.
- However, family doctors provide treatment for people of all ages, while internists focus exclusively on adult medical conditions.
- In terms of the range of treatments, both internists and family doctors typically offer only consultations and simple outpatient procedures. They do not perform extensive surgeries.

The bulk of what specialists in a family doctor center perform is routine medical procedures. For instance, you may need to visit your family doctor before a general surgery procedure to ensure that your medical history is accurate and accounted for. Some other examples of the common procedures that family doctors provide include:

- Routine vaccinations
- General health assessments
- Neonatal and infant care
- Disease screening procedures
- Lifestyle change consultation
- Preliminary chronic disease treatment

Family doctors are also qualified to request diagnostic tests such as CT scans and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to shed light on the underlying cause of a particular condition. This often acts as a segue to the eventual treatment, as is the case with instances of laparoscopic surgery and appendix surgery.

Family doctors also keep a dynamic track of the medical history of any chronic conditions you or your family members may have. Therefore, they are called upon in the case of treating complex conditions like colorectal cancer, where medical history plays a crucial role in accurate diagnosis.

Knowing what issues your family doctor can assist you with is often the first step of a successful treatment and eventual recovery process.

When to consult a family doctor

The rule of thumb for consulting a family doctor is to visit them in case you experience firsthand symptoms of a disease or condition. Another good reason to visit a family medical center or general surgery center is for a regular checkup or immunizations, letting you track your health accordingly. Here is a quick reference guide for apt reasons to visit the family doctor.

- General treatment: In most cases, you can consult a family doctor to get treatment for simple medical conditions that do not necessarily require the services of a specialist consultant. For instance, during flu season, you can consult your family doctor for relief from basic flu symptoms.

- Pre-specialist diagnosis: On the other hand, consulting with a family medicine doctor is a good initial touchpoint to getting specialized consultation moving forward. This is especially valid for complex disorders such as hernia treatment, where a specialist’s opinion is usually required to identify the cause and perform eventual hernia surgery if needed.

- Chronic disease surveying: A specialist in a family medical center can help you maintain a steady treatment for your chronic disease and provide personalized treatment. A common example of this is asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) treatment. Family doctors are qualified to prescribe medication for the same.

Family medicine specialists can have a wide range of expertise in the treatments they provide, ranging from vascular surgery to varicose vein treatment. Through our myAster application, you can easily filter and select the best family doctor based on your specific issue to receive proper treatment.

Common Procedures & Treatments

The range of treatments provided by family medicine doctors is highly diverse. The consultation and treatment you receive will mostly depend on the primary reason for your visit. For example, if you are visiting your family doctor in the UAE regarding the feasibility of breast augmentation in Dubai, they may recommend a few tests to see if the procedure will be safe for you.

Some of the common procedures offered by family medicine doctors include:

- Health screenings: PAP tests for women, prostate exam for men

- Child health supervision: Immunizations, vaccinations

- Basic vitals check: Heart rate, body temperature

- Specialist referrals: Referral for colorectal cancer treatment, referral for appendix surgery

- Overall lifestyle changes: Diet changes, simple exercises

Your family doctor can provide dynamic medical counsel based on any changes and developments in your overall health profile. Therefore, people usually stick to one family medicine specialist for their whole household. Selecting the right doctor is key to ensuring a healthy doctor-patient rapport.

The myAster Advantage

The overall scope of myAster as a consolidated platform is to simplify the process of medical appointment booking from end to end. Via the portal, you can access the vast range of family doctors across all the family medical centers in the GCC region, through a single screen. Additionally, you can also filter your search with intuitive criteria such as languages spoken by the doctor. Here is a glimpse of the salient features of myAster:

- Simplified family medical specialist follow-ups
- Streamlined integration to Aster Pharmacy for medication procurement
- Access to video consultation for complete convenience
- Curated filtering of sub-specialties of available family doctors
- Medical history and reports available in one interface

Family Medicine