What is a Family Practice?
Family practice is the medical specialty in which providers provide comprehensive, patient-centered primary health care to patients and their families. Providers who practice family medicine can provide routine wellness care, such as physical exams or preventative care, to patients, regardless of age, gender, health or social status. They are also trained to know about many areas of medicine so that they are equipped to treat a wide variety of conditions.
Family practices often staff a team of professionals that can help provide a continuity of care to patients, including nurse practitioners, provider assistants and others.
There is often a great need for family practice provider in medically underserved communities where patients have limited access to hospitals and specialists, such as rural areas or overseas. Members of these communities may suffer from low health literacy and more chronic conditions. Additionally, they may have access to fewer resources, underscoring the importance of compassionate, well-trained family providers.
The Purpose of Family Practice
The goal of the family practice specialty is to provide continual, comprehensive care to an individual. Family practice advocates believe that seeing many different specialists can sometimes result in fragmented care.
But providers who practice family practice are trained in providing coordination of care and will refer patients to specialists when necessary. Frequently, they can also provide information about other community resources or health services. Some practitioners are even prepared to deliver babies or perform minor surgeries.
Some of the services that family nurse practitioners offer may include:
Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of chronic disease
Immediate care for sudden and serious illness or injury
Routine physical exams as well as sports clearance physical exams
Vaccinations
Preventative medicine
Allergies
Constipation
Coughs
Ear pain
Eye infections
Flu-like symptoms
Heartburn/indigestion
Nausea and vomiting
Sinus pain and infections
Sore throat
Upper respiratory illness
Urinary symptoms
Family practice providers may also be trained in a number of settings such as:
Family practice
Geriatric care
Rehab - post acute care
Addiction
Hospice and palliative care
Mental health
Long Term Care
