In Yalla’s Ask The Expert series, Dr Sahira Mahmoud, Family Medicine Specialist at Kings College Hospital, explains what actually is family medicine and why you would see a Family Medicine Doctor.
What is Family Medicine?
Family Medicine forms the cornerstone of the healthcare system in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and United States of America.
Yet, it is a concept still misunderstood by many of the residents of the Middle East and the United Arab Emirates. So, what is the Family Medicine and what is the role of a Family Medicine Consultant or Specialist?
Essentially, a Family Medicine doctor is a generalist, more commonly known as a General Practitioner or ‘GP’ by people in the UK. In countries such as the UK qualified GP undertakes at least 5 years of training after graduating from medical school.
The training is comprehensive and covers all the specialities including Surgery, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and many more.
Your Family Medicine Doctor is your first point of contact. It is not only a doctor for you, but all of your family. Living in the UAE, many people are taking on more responsibility for managing their illness themselves. Whilst this may work at times and you can become an expert on your health; often it can be hard to navigate, and daunting for someone who has no medical knowledge.
Having a Family Doctor, with whom you can develop a partnership of joint decision-making, would allay fears and allow you to maintain control of your health.
This can only work if you establish a long term relationship with a Family Medicine Doctor who is responsive to your concerns; someone that you are able to build a relationship of trust and confidence in.
A Family Medicine Doctor can go through your symptoms by taking a thorough history of your problem, being familiar with any pre-existing medical issues, examining, investigating, and if need-be, referring you to a specialist.
A good Family Medicine Doctor can manage complex medical problems and deal with medical uncertainty. They are experts in providing:
- Patient centred care – As a patient your priorities should be identified and respected in order to reach an appropriate clinical decision. This is a process facilitated through the development of good doctor–patient relationships over time. It also means identifying and organising services for patients based on your needs.
- Holistic care – this represents a method of care where the decisions made on the diagnosis and management reflect the entirety of your needs. It looks at how illness impacts on your lives.
Why see a Family Medicine Doctor?
The purpose of consulting a Family Medicine Doctor may be to
- Manage a pre-existing condition
- Make a diagnosis of a problem
- be given advice and information,
- have medication prescribed
- screening and immunisation
- health promotion
- active disease management programmes
Ask your Family Medicine Doctor?
What does my Mammogram report mean?
When patients are trying to manage things themselves, they will often be left with many reports from various investigations without any explanation. The role of a good Family Medicine Doctor is to help patients navigate this and aid in coordinating services. If consultation with your Family Medicine Doctor happens early enough, you may be able to avoid the many unnecessary investigations which are often performed.
I am on Blood Pressure medicine. Do I need to see the doctor?
Did you know that the medications used to treat High Blood pressure can actually cause damage to the kidneys? A simple regular check up with your GP and a kidney blood test twice a year could help detect any early changes which could then be reversed.
Do my cholesterol tablets need monitoring
Did you know that Statins (which are the medicines used to lower cholesterol), can cause damage to the liver or even muscle pains? A regularly 3-6 check-up with your GP could help prevent or pick up on early indicators for this.
Kings College Hospital
King’s College Hospital, Surgical and Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi is part of King’s College Hospital in London, with access to world-class treatments and expertise from leading medical professionals.
Their priority is patient care, and use only evidence-based medicine, offering the same high-quality trusted healthcare and modern expertise at their new clinic in Abu Dhabi as they provide at their internationally renowned hospital in the UK.
The UAE’s strong ties with King’s College Hospital go back to 1979 when His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, provided a donation that helped establish the King’s liver research centre which is now among the top three specialist liver centres in the world.
