Family Medicine is a very broad field, which has left many wondering of what it actually involves, and when should one seek advice of the Family Medicine Doctor. Here is a conversation with our Family Medicine Doctor, Dr Ruhil Badiani, with a few things you might want to know.
Family Medicine is a medical specialty within the primary care that provides a comprehensive and continuous healthcare for the individuals of all ages, genders, diseases and parts of the body and for the whole family. This is a unique area of medicine in the sense that the it considers all aspects of a person’s health, including social, medical and psychological histories, quality of life, family life and work-life balance. Thus, it allows the Practitioner to implement the holistic approach to treatment, as well as implement long-term strategies to prevent certain conditions. It is also important to note that, due to the continuous nature, the Doctor and patient, as well as the rest of the family, are participating in the process and building the trusting relationship, which, among the factors above, contributes to the most precise strategy choice for specific person. And in the case of the observation of the whole family, it provides with the ability to accurately diagnose one family member taking other family members and their medical history into account, aiding the diagnosis of everyone long-term.
As mentioned earlier, Family Medicine is a very broad and far-reaching field. It is a fairly new concept for this region due to the fact that, unlike in many countries, there is an ability to approach a specialist of the very narrow field without the need of referral. However, the demand for the Family Medicine is increasing as more and more realise the importance of continuous monitoring of the whole body, even when there is only one part of the body that is affected at the moment.
However large or small! From the previous questions you can see that one may seek advice of the Family Medicine Doctor due to any medical condition or concern. It may be a chronic, acute or a developing condition of various degrees – studies have shown that in 80% of the cases, we would be able to advise. However, while being generalists, some Family Medicine Doctors may also have a subspecialty. This tends to be the area of interest where a certain Family Medicine Doctor got additional training and has the ability to give more detailed advice. For instance, I [Dr Ruhil Badiani] am a Family Medicine Doctor, with the subspecialty in OB/Gyn and family planning.
Due to the holistic approach that the Family Medicine takes, all social, medical and psychological history of the person in question and their first-degree relatives (mother, father, siblings) is important. The Family Medicine doctor would then make a decision on its relevance to the condition in question, and would be able to advise, taking all the important details into account.
While online appointments are becoming more and more popular, I [Dr Ruhil Badiani] tend to advise the first appointment to be face to face. In that way, there is less reliance on the factors outside of our control such as the strength of connection and the quality of sound during the meeting that lays foundation for the long-term trusting relationship which is key to the treatment process. In the case of repeat appointments, and in some cases for the first appointment when it is not possible to come for the clinic, online appointments are a helpful tool, but I [Dr Ruhil Badiani] always remind my online patients of the possibility to come in person should they feel the need.
In addition to the general clinical examination, Cornerstone Clinic allows us to perform:
Should you need additional tests, we would refer you to the laboratory to obtain the required information.
Depending on the case, additional treatments such as intravenous infusions would be helpful, and here in Cornerstone we are able to offer that. Also, we are able to perform vaccinations, should the patient need it.
The consultation brings up the areas where additional care and attention are needed to ensure optimum functioning. Due to varying nature of the cases, it is difficult to predict whether a follow up consultation would be required. However, Family Medicine implies the continuous monitoring due to numerous appointments, spread over the years collaborative and trusting relationship between the patient and the doctor.
Family Medicine is a truly versatile and powerful field to treat many of the common conditions, and might save you time from going from one specialist from another. Rather than isolating your concern from the rest of the body, Family Medicine would take the systematic approach and consider the functioning of the whole body in each case.
Trust is one of the most important ingredients for collaborative efforts of the patient and the Doctor for a healthier future of the patient. So trust your Doctor in your joint journey to the healthier and better you!
To learn more about Family Medicine, please visit our dedicated page here: [Family Medicine Dubai]
26 September 2022
