Family medicine is a medical specialty that focuses on the care of the whole family. It’s also known as primary care, since its focus is on preventive care, rather than curative care. They are doctors who specialize in caring for patients who have been diagnosed with a variety of conditions or diseases. Family physicians may provide care for children, adults and older adults; they may work in hospitals, clinics or private offices.
A family physician like Dr Nadine Haddad will have training in internal medicine and pediatrics and may also be trained in other specialties such as cardiology and geriatrics. Family physicians can diagnose and treat conditions that affect multiple areas of health, such as heart disease or diabetes. They usually work with other doctors to coordinate their treatment plans with those of other specialists involved in a patient’s health care team.
How to Look for A Family Physician
When you’re looking for a family physician, it can be a challenge to know where to start. You might feel like you have no idea what questions to ask, or how to determine whether or not the doctor is right for your family.
Here are some things to consider when hiring a family physician:
- Location: You want to make sure that your new doctor isn’t too far away from home. If it takes you more than an hour of driving each way, it may not be worth it.
- Experience: Many doctors have years of experience under their belts, and if this is important to you, look for one with a lot of experience in the field.
- Specialty: Some specialties require more education than others do. For example, cardiologists need at least an MD degree before they can legally practice medicine; while pediatricians need only an undergraduate degree to start practicing medicine.
- Cost: The cost of seeing a doctor will vary widely depending on where he or she practices and what kind of insurance policies they have available.
Why Choose A Family Physician Instead of An Internal Doctor
Here are some reasons why it’s so important to hire a family physician like Dr Nadine Haddad instead of an internal doctor:
- An internal doctor is not a licensed healthcare professional, so you don’t have any legal recourse if something goes wrong with your health care. A family physician has a legal mandate to treat all patients within the scope of their practice and cannot refuse care because they do not feel comfortable treating your particular illness or condition.
- Family physicians have more experience with treating children than internal doctors do, which means that your child will be better cared for by the doctor who specializes in treating kids than he would be by an internal doctor who doesn’t specialize in pediatric medicine.
- If you have serious medical concerns, you should seek out a specialist rather than an internal doctor—and even then, you should still consider hiring a family physician instead of one who works in the emergency department because they are more likely to know how to treat severe cases effectively and safely without putting yourself at risk for injury or unnecessary surgery due to inexperience or lack of training.
Hiring a family physician is the best way to ensure that you, your loved ones, and your health are in good hands. A family physician is trained to care for your entire family—including yourself—with the same degree of expertise, knowledge, and experience.
