The Importance of a Dedicated GP in Navigating Healthcare
Why is a GP important? If you ask many people, they may not be able to give you a clear answer. Your health is essential, and you need a dedicated general practitioner (GP) to help you navigate the healthcare system. If you need a few excellent reasons to find and use a GP, we've outlined the top ones below.
Reason One: GPs Have a Deep Understanding of Your Health History
When you see different doctors, not every practitioner will know all the details of your history beyond what you tell them during the visit. When you have a GP, they can send all relevant medical records to a specialist. Still, when you don't have a core physician whom you see every time you visit the doctor for general medical needs, you're basically starting the doctor-patient relationship from scratch every time.
A regular GP will go over your entire medical history the first time you sit down with them. Then, they'll build on your medical record each time you come in to see them. They can keep track of everything that does and doesn't work for your medical conditions, and they'll know about any allergies you have, along with the details of your history. In turn, they can tailor your treatments to your needs.
Reason Two: GPs Are Skilled Generalist Medical Professionals
When a practitioner excels in a specific field, they concentrate on that area of the body before anything else. While this is fantastic if you have one specific issue, it's essential to see a generalist to help recognise when your health changes and to identify what's going on when you suddenly start experiencing symptoms.
As generalists, GPs are trained to assess all areas of your body with a broad perspective. They amass a wide range of knowledge that they can apply to you to help discover the underlying cause of your symptoms.
Reason Three: GPs Can Coordinate Your Healthcare Seamlessly
If a physician doesn't know you or your history, it's difficult for them to coordinate your care with specialists or other medical facilities. This can cause delays that extend the time it takes to receive the treatment you need. It can even result in service denials if the doctor doesn't have a medically necessary reason.
Your GP will coordinate all of your ongoing care, based on your medical history and their knowledge of you as a patient. They can refer you to allied health professionals or a medical specialist and serve as a central point of contact for other healthcare professionals. This reduces the chances of communication errors or missed paperwork.
Reason Four: GPs Provide Valuable Preventive Health Advice
When it comes to your health, preventing problems is usually much easier than trying to fix something once symptoms have set in. It's difficult for a doctor who doesn't know your history to offer preventative health advice because they aren't familiar with you. They may not know about your family history, any previous illnesses, or problems you may have had.
There are several areas where your GP can give you preventative health advice on, and they include, but are not limited to:
- Immunisations to prevent diseases
- Prevent or detect early cancers by doing skin checks, breast checks and PAP smears
- Reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by quitting smoking, checking your blood pressure regularly, lowering your cholesterol, and maintaining a healthy weight.
- Prevent diabetes and take early detection steps
- Prevent osteoporosis
All of these things are relatively easy for your GP to do because they have your entire medical history laid out in front of them, and they know exactly what they have and haven't tried with you yet.
Reason Five: GPs Are Equipped to Manage Chronic Illnesses
When you have a chronic illness, you can go through a host of medical testing and specialist referrals that give you a vast and complicated medical history. It's difficult to detail this to a new doctor each time you see them, and errors or omissions are common. You may end up having the same tests performed multiple times.
A GP excels at managing chronic conditions like Asthma, Diabetes and Arthritis, and they can put together a Care Plan tailored to your needs. Having a Care Plan in place involves you in decisions about your condition management and provides access to a team-based approach that includes a network of qualified specialists.
Reason Six: GPs Help Reduce the Risk of Medical Errors
In healthcare, errors can be life-threatening. If you see a doctor who doesn't have your medical file and relies on you to tell them everything, it can lead to errors. Unless you have a copy of your updated file, the margin for error is high. This is especially true for prescribing medications.
GPs use a recall system to double-check your chart before implementing a new treatment plan or medication. They're less likely to make errors concerning your health because they know you.
Reason Seven: GPs Have Local Knowledge for Better Care
Some hospitals and clinics employ travelling doctors who don't know the area very well. They may not be able to tell you which services or specialists are available to you. In turn, this can slow your treatment because it narrows down your prospects.
GPs usually work and live in the same communities and can provide lists of specialists. For example, they may be aware of counselling services for emergencies and mental health issues that other doctors may not be. They may even be able to refer you to them.
Book an Appointment with 13Cure: Easy Online Booking for Your GP Consultation.
So, why is a GP important? We've outlined seven compelling reasons to consider finding one. They're essential for your health, and they can help you navigate the sometimes-confusing area of healthcare. If you'd like to see a GP, get in touch or book your appointment today!
