The Family Doctor

The role of a general practitioner is that of the first point of contact for health complaints, a coordinator of patient care, a practitioner for common complaints, and a referrer to other healthcare providers. General practitioners provide continuous, personalized, and integrated care, identifying not only medical but also psychosocial problems and facilitating their discussion within the patient's environment.

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Core tasks and activities

• Medical-generalist care:

The GP treats approximately 90% of complaints himself, including prescribing medication and performing minor procedures.

• Care coordination:

The general practitioner coordinates the entire care pathway for a patient and has an overview of the care providers involved.

• Redirect:

If necessary, the GP refers the patient to a specialist in the hospital, a physiotherapist or another healthcare provider.

• Prevention and lifestyle:

General practitioners also provide lifestyle advice and refer to lifestyle coaches, paramedics or other programs.

• Palliative care:

The general practitioner also provides care to patients in the final stages of life.

• First point of contact:

Patients first come to their general practitioner with their health problems.

• Diagnosis and treatment:

The general practitioner takes stock of complaints, performs a physical examination, makes diagnoses and draws up treatment plans.

 

Important aspects

• Person-oriented:

  The general practitioner is close to the patient, taking into account the personal background, social environment and wishes of the patient.

• Continuous care:

  The general practitioner strives for a long-term doctor-patient relationship and provides care from birth to death.

• Integrated approach:

  In addition to medical aspects, the GP also identifies and discusses psychosocial problems such as loneliness or family problems.

• Relationship of trust:

  The mutual relationship of trust between GP and patient plays a major role in daily work.

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Virtual Clinic

Your GP uses the Virtual Clinic to remotely monitor the health of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus . This digital platform enables the GP and the nurse practitioner to better support patients and intervene more quickly if necessary.

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Are you a type 2 diabetes patient and interested in using the Virtual Clinic? Ask your somatic care nurse practitioner about the options.