Things You Never Knew Your GP Could Do

A General Practitioner or Family Physician can do more than treat cough, headache, flu and provide you with a specialist referral letter.

If you think that General Practitioners (GP) or Family Physicians (FP) can only treat cough, headache, flu, stomachaches and provide you with a specialist referral letter when you need one, you should read on as they do more than that. Here’s what Dr Ong Kian Soon, Family Physician, Raffles Medical in Viet Nam have to share:

What Can My GP / FP Do?

The World Health Organisation recognises Family Medicine as a discipline that provides personalised (patient-centred), primary, prevention, comprehensive, coordinated and continual care to people of all ages (from cradle to grave). GPs / FPs with the necessary qualifcations and training can provide patients with the following services.

Disease Prevention
•    Health screening
•    Health promotion
•    Childhood vaccination
•    Adult vaccination
•    Travel vaccinations
•    Advisory on travel medicine
•    Family planning and birth control advisory

Chronic Problems: Chronic disease management such as:

•    Diabetes
•    Hypertension
•    Hyperlipidemia
•    Asthma
•    Chronic obstructive lung disease
•    Chronic kidney diseases
•    Benign prostatic hypertrophy
•    Osteoarthritis
•    Osteoporosis
•    Rheumatoid arthritis
•    Mental health issues – anxiety, depression, etc
•    Epilepsy
•    Dementia
•    Parkinson’s disease
•    Psoriasis

Acute / Emergency

1.    Emergency medical treatment
2.    House calls
3.    Minor offce-based surgeries such as:

•    Ear syringing
•    Suturing of wounds / lacerations
•    Drainage of abscess
•    Wound debridement
•    Excision of lumps and bumps
•    Excision of ingrown toe nails
•    Cryotherapy for warts
•    Intra-articular (joint) injections
•    Cauterisation

4.    Orthopaedic and sports injury management such as:

•    Reduction of fracture
•    Splinting and casting

Behavioural Modification

•    Smoking cessation programme
•    Weight management programme
•    Exercise prescription

 

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