Today, one of the most sought-after professions in medicine is a general practitioner. Who is this, almost every resident of the countryside knows. The fact is that it is in the villages most often doctors of this specialty work.
General practitioner: who is this?
The main difference between doctors of this specialty from others is the presence of basic knowledge in each of the sections of medicine. However, they are not required to provide specialized medical care.
They should be able to solve relatively simple health problems and engage in the prevention of diseases of a therapeutic, surgical and gynecological profile in both adults and children.
Why are general practitioners prevalent in rural areas?
It is in the villages most often you can meet such a specialist as a general practitioner. Who is this, all the villagers know. General practitioners got the most distribution in this area due to the economic inefficiency of building full-fledged medical and preventive institutions in each locality and ensuring the work in it for a large number of doctors. From this point of view, it will be much more expedient to create small outpatient clinics in which a general practitioner (family doctor), a nurse and a nurse will work. Such a set of employees will allow the outpatient clinic to provide full medical care to residents of the region attached to it.
For rural areas remote from large centers, a general practitioner becomes a real salvation. Who is this, all residents of the agricultural regions know, because it is to him that they go first. He is able to carry out the simplest manipulations of the surgical and gynecological profile, is familiar with the therapeutic pathologies of both adults and children.
How is a general practitioner trained?
After graduating from a higher medical institution, this specialist must undergo an internship at one or more clinics. He needs to gain the skills of a therapeutic, surgical, pediatric, as well as gynecological profile. As a result of such training, he becomes a specialist with general skills in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of any medical industry.
How is the work of a general practitioner built?
Prevention, diagnosis and treatment are all the main areas within which the general practitioner conducts his professional activities. His work is built primarily on the identification of the population living in the area controlled by him, the risks of developing certain serious diseases, as well as systematic activities aimed at counteracting their formation.
What is necessary for the work of a specialist?
The general practitioner's office should be equipped with a number of tools that help to carry out the initial diagnosis. We are talking about a phonendoscope, tonometer, glucometer, thermometers, spatulas, laryngoscopes, otoscopes, rhinoscopes, ophthalmological and gynecological equipment. In addition, in the outpatient clinic of a general practitioner should be the simplest surgical instruments.
Ideally, the dispensary can be equipped with a mini-laboratory. It greatly simplifies the work of a general practitioner. Those specialists in this field who are not trying to equip their outpatient facilities have to constantly refer patients to regional medical institutions for simple laboratory tests (general blood count, general urinalysis, biochemical blood test, etc.).
What services does the general practitioner provide?
The work of this specialist is of great importance for the entire population served. Thanks to him, medical care is becoming noticeably closer to people. In outpatient clinics, simple surgical procedures are performed. In addition, there are all conditions for injection (including in the form of droppers) administration of drugs. There is necessarily a small bed capacity, which allows patients to be placed in a day hospital. That is, the patient can consult a doctor and, if he considers it necessary, be treated without going to the hospital.
In large outpatient clinics, in addition to the ordinary specialist, a general dentist can also work.
In the event that a person became very ill, and he cannot visit a doctor on his own, he has the opportunity to call him to his house. Moreover, most often a specialist of this profile serves such calls after lunch, and reception in the outpatient clinic leads to him.
Economic feasibility of outpatient clinics
Such institutions and the position of "general practitioner" (who we have already found out) were introduced not only to bring medical care closer to the rural population. The fact is that this is beneficial from an economic point of view. Firstly, there is no need to send a separate therapist, gynecologist, surgeon, ophthalmologist, ENT specialist and others. A general practitioner will cope with all relatively simple problems. Those who present more serious complaints, or whose health condition causes concern for this doctor, are sent to higher-level health facilities.
Prospects for the development of the profession in the future
Currently, a general practitioner (who is it, it was said above) is not the most common, but at the same time very necessary profession. This specialist is in demand in the countryside. At the same time, such a doctor saves the state considerable funds, because you do not have to maintain a large healthcare institution in each settlement, in which a large number of doctors work. A general practitioner will cope with many problems on his own. If the intervention of narrow specialists is required to combat a particular pathology, the patient will be referred to a medical center of the appropriate profile.
In the future, a general practitioner can be reissued as a so-called family doctor. This specialist is a doctor who provides medical services to several families. He knows each of his patients very well. A small number of them allows him to delve deeply into the problems of all the wards. Family doctors are a very effective way to preserve the health of the population, however, the activities of such specialists are possible only in a sufficiently developed economy. The fact is that the salary of such an employee will consist of deductions from his direct patients. So the family doctor, if we talk about the ubiquitous activities of such specialists, for the time being remains a future prospect. In many European countries, the institution of family doctors has existed for a long time and has proved its effectiveness. Moreover, the basis of the activities of such specialists is precisely the prevention and early diagnosis of any disease.
In addition, the profession of the general practitioner himself is promising. Now mobile complexes are being created to significantly expand the capabilities of this doctor in the diagnosis of certain diseases. We are talking about the so-called specialized cars of a general practitioner. Such a complex includes a small laboratory, as well as a kit for conducting the most important instrumental studies.