General Practitioner Clinic: Roles, Duties and Conditions Treated
Have a common health complaint? A general practitioner clinic can diagnose it, prescribe treatment or refer you to a specialist. Here is what GPs do.
General Practitioner Clinic: What Are Its Duties and Functions?
As the name suggests, a general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who focuses on treating common patient complaints. GPs are also known as first-level doctors because their role is to provide prevention, make diagnoses and refer patients to specialists. If you have a common complaint, you can visit a general practitioner clinic.
Duties and Functions of a General Practitioner
GPs and specialists differ in one fundamental way: the health services they provide. A GP plays an important role in giving patients medical care at the earliest stage and on an ongoing basis. If symptoms appear to need specialized treatment, the GP will refer you to a specialist.
GPs usually work in hospitals, puskesmas (community health centers) or private clinics. They must have several skills to serve patients. When you see a GP, you will be asked medical questions to find out what illness you have, along with other information related to it.
This is one of a GP's duties: detecting your illness and making a diagnosis. The doctor then writes a prescription for the medication you need. A general practitioner clinic also provides rehabilitation for patients to prevent further complications.
Types of Illnesses a General Practitioner Can Treat
Because GPs handle common health problems, some illnesses are beyond what they can treat. When a GP sees a patient whose diagnosis falls outside that range, the patient is referred to a specialist.
Among the illnesses GPs can treat are respiratory tract infections, such as sore throat, flu, tonsillitis and laryngitis. If you have these symptoms, you can go to a community health center, a hospital or a general practitioner clinic. You can also see a GP for motion sickness or fever.
GPs can also treat digestive problems, such as gastritis (maag), acid reflux and diarrhea. In addition, you can see a GP for skin problems, such as scabies, ringworm, fungal infections, atopic eczema or other skin conditions.
If your symptoms are beyond what a GP can treat, you will receive initial care, and the doctor will make sure your condition is stable so you do not develop more serious complications. You will then be referred to a specialist suited to your illness for more serious treatment.
Not every illness can be treated by a GP, but a GP is the first point of care before a patient is referred to a doctor who can handle the condition. The diagnosis a GP gives will determine what kind of treatment you receive.
More health articles: https://www.omdc.co.id/
