Family physicians are often the first point of contact for patients with minor health issues, such as a sore throat or sprained ankle, but they also diagnose and treat serious illnesses like cancer and heart disease. Your primary care provider (PCP), Pompeyo C Chavez MD can also help keep track of your overall health and well-being.
Primary care encompasses a wide range of services that include:
Preventive care
This type of care focuses on identifying and reducing disease risk factors before they become serious problems. It also includes vaccinations, screening tests, and physical examinations to monitor conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes, which may be controlled with medication if detected early enough.
Mental health services
PCPs offer counseling to address mental health needs such as stress management or depression, particularly in older adults, and help people cope with chronic illnesses like cancer or Parkinson’s disease that can affect moods and emotions. They also assess children for learning disabilities or behavioral problems that may require additional treatment from other professionals such as psychologists or psychiatrists.
Treating acute illnesses and injuries
In addition to routine checkups and screenings, your primary care doctor can treat the most common illnesses that affect children and adults alike. These include coughs, colds, stomachaches, ear infections, and other minor ailments that don’t require emergency treatment.
Chronic disease management
Primary care also involves chronic disease management, which means treating long-term conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. These complex diseases need ongoing monitoring and regular check-ups to ensure they are being appropriately managed, failure to which can cause serious problems.
Health education and counseling
A primary care physician works closely with patients by listening to their concerns and answering questions about their health. The doctor can refer you to specialists if necessary. So you should see your primary care physician frequently for guidance and counseling on maintaining good body health.
What are the benefits of primary care?
Promotes good health: Primary care providers offer regular checkups to ensure your overall health is good and catch any problems early on before they become more severe and difficult to treat.
Reduces costs: A visit to your primary care provider costs less than a trip to the emergency room or an urgent care center because it doesn’t require expensive tests or procedures that are not needed at the time of your visit. And you will avoid the cost of repeat visits if your condition doesn’t improve after treatment is started by your primary care provider.
Helps prevent illness and injury: PCPs achieves this by providing preventive services like vaccinations or screenings for diabetes or high blood pressure, which can lead to costly hospitalizations later on if untreated early.
Primary care is the first line of defense against illness and injury and your doctor’s first stop when you are sick. Primary care includes routine health screenings, vaccinations, checkups, and follow-up visits to monitor chronic conditions. It also includes the diagnosis and treatment of common illnesses and injuries. To connect with the right primary care provider, contact Pompeyo Chavez, MD.