General Practice

Overview

With a mission to preserve and promote the science and art of family medicine and to ensure high-quality, cost-effective healthcare for patients of all ages, the American Academy of Family Practice (AAFP) was founded in 1947. Family practice was officially recognized in February 1969 as the 20th primary medical specialty. With this new designation came added responsibility. Training and preparation for family practitioners was standardized to include a wide variety of medical disciplines, including general internal medicine, women's health and obstetrics, infectious disease, pediatrics, newborn care, emergency medicine, surgery and its subspecialties, ophthalmology, dermatology, otolaryngology, and more. Office-based training of the fledgling family practice physician became a high priority to maintain wellness and decrease rising hospitalization rates. Recently, family practice training programs have collaborated within their respective communities and academic institutions to offer more hospital-based care to their patient populations, ensuring greater continuity of care for the patients. This programmatic philosophy for more hands-on experience with inpatient care instead of training in outpatient care has been necessary because of the increasing fragmentation of the healthcare system in the United States and the rising costs associated with healthcare.

Family and general practitioners are often the first point of contact for people seeking healthcare, and these providers generally act as the traditional family physician. In general practice, a wide range of medical services is typically available, including newborn and well-child care, age-appropriate vaccinations, and care of the sick child as needed. Adolescent and young-adult care, along with [Page 434]appropriate counseling tailored to this formative period in life, completes the care of children as they progress into adulthood. Most physicians in general practice also offer care to women of child-bearing age, which includes services during preconception and pregnancy as well as care of the newborn. Additionally, one quarter of general practitioners have incorporated obstetrical care into their practices, which involves the delivery of the newborn and immediate care of the mother following the birth. Mainstream adult care of people 25 years of age and above, along with care of the elderly, is the main purview of physicians in general practice. Comprehensive physical exams, screening tests, treatment of common and acute conditions, management of chronic disease, coordination of allied healthcare, and even home care are all a part of the routine health maintenance functions that form a common thread in general practice.

The strength of general practice lies in the relationships forged between the patient and the physician. This bond allows the patient to feel comfortable revealing confidential, discreet problems of both physical and psychological origin. This type of relationship most often helps identify medical and health concerns in their early stages, which reliably leads to a satisfactory resolution of the issue or a timely referral to specialty services if necessary. Communication between the patient and the physician and between the physician and other healthcare providers is the key to successful general practice of medicine.

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