Benefits Of Choosing A Family Physician To Provide Your Child's Health Care

26 February 2016

Jaime Allen

Different than a pediatrician, a family physician is trained to provide on-going health care to individuals from infancy through the adulthood years. That means all the members of your immediate family can receive general health care services from the same doctor. In addition, a family physician who has knowledge about a wider range of illnesses that affect individuals in their lifetimes and is aware of particular medical conditions that run in your family may be in a better position to identify your child's medical needs sooner. Before choosing a doctor to provide health care services to your child, it helps to know what a family physician has to offer.

Training to Provide Comprehensive Medical Care to All Ages

Because a family physician receives education on a broad scope of medical issues, he or she is able to treat your entire family regardless of each individual's age. Rather than specializing in a particular organ, disease, or patient population, a family physician studies multiple areas of medicine.

Instead of a single specialty, family physicians receive training in several major medical specialties including internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and behavioral and mental health. Family physicians also receive training in orthopedics, ophthalmology, otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat), emergency medical care, and urology enabling them to:

• Diagnose and treat all kinds of acute and chronic illnesses

• Provide preventive care, including routine checkups, child and adult immunizations, and screening tests

• Manage chronic diseases and illnesses of children, such as asthma, allergies, juvenile (type 1) diabetes, heart murmurs, and learning and behavioral problems

• Coordinate care with other medical professionals when your child needs

Knowledge of Your Family's Medical History

A family physician has the advantage of knowing your entire family's medical history, which provides information that he or she needs to better determine your child's health risks. Being aware of chronic illnesses and hereditary diseases that run in the family gives a family doctor knowledge that can be helpful in keeping your child healthy, not just throughout childhood but also into later life. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, research shows that patients who visit a family physician on a regular basis are more likely to experience better health and have a lower risk of premature death from chronic diseases, particularly those that have a genetic component.

If a family physician who provides your obstetric care also treats your infant after birth, he or she already will know of any problems during fetal development that can put your baby at risk of birth defects or developing other health issues. Pregnancy complications, as well as labor and delivery complications, can lead to negative outcomes for you and/or your baby. A doctor who is aware of complications of pregnancy can immediately look for the warning signs that your baby may have serious health problems after birth.

Ability to Continue to Provide Adult Health Care

Family physicians build long-term relationships with their patients, which can be helpful as teens make the transition from childhood to adulthood. Since your child will become familiar with your family doctor over the years, he or she may feel more comfortable discussing issues related to puberty, including both physical and psychological development during adolescence. This may be easier than changing from a pediatrician to an adolescent health specialist, as your child enters puberty.

A family physician also can remain as your child's doctor even after he or she reaches the age of 18 or 21 – the age when pediatricians normally stop seeing patients. Even though your child may choose another doctor later on, there isn't the immediate need to change before he or she is ready because of age. Contact a practice, such as Gulf Shores Family Medicine, for more information.   

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