A general physician is a medical doctor who specialises in many diseases affecting the body, whose primary treatment does not involve surgery.
Medical Conditions
All medical conditions. All medical conditions either chronic or acute.
This may include conditions that affect the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system, the gastrointestinal system, the neurological system, the haematological system or the endocrine system. Examples of conditions:
- Cardiovascular system
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Ischaemic heart disease (angina, heart attack)
- Respiratory system
- Asthma
- Emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Pneumonia
- Lung fibrosis
- Gastrointestinal system
- Gastroenteritis
- Liver disease including alcoholic lever disease
- Neurological system
- Cerebrovascular accident (strokes)
- Epilepsy (seizures)
- Dementia
- Haematological
- Anaemia
- Endocrinological
- Diabetes
- Thyroid disease
- Pituitary disease
Specialty Areas of Interest
Most general physicians develop a special area of interest in one of the areas listed under medical conditions. Whilst they maintain a broad general medical knowledge they often tend to concentrate more on one area in which they have even further expertise.
Associated Tests
General physicians can arrange a diverse range of tests appropriate to your condition.
These may include bedside tests such as an electrocardiogram (ECG), urinalysis (U/A), blood sugar level, blood pressure, faecal occult blood test.
They usually involve laboratory investigations such as blood tests. These blood tests are directed to the problem that you are presenting with. As well as blood tests the laboratory may process other samples such as urine or fluid from other parts of the body.
Occassionally a biopsy or small piece of tissue is required for diagnosis and this will be sent to a pathologist for full analysis.
Imaging done by radiologists also forms part of the investigation pathway and these may include X-Rays, CT scans, ultrasound or MRI. Nuclear medicine tests are also used in some cases.
Finally general physicians may refer you to another specialty for some other special tests. A cardiologist may perform an angiogram, a gastroenterologist an endoscopy or a respiratory physician may request lung function tests. These results will be fed back to your general physician who will coordinate your specialist investigation and management.
Procedures
What to expect
History
A general physician has a very broad range of knowledge and will tailor the interview to your complaint. They will ask about you current symptoms, their onset, duration, character, relieving and exacerbating factors and previous tests and treatments.
Other medical problems, medications, allergies, social and family history are also important.
Examination
Your general physician will tailor the examination to the presenting complaint. An experienced physician can learn a great deal by simple observation. Looking at nails, hands, skin, eyes and mouth may give some clues. Then examining your heart, lungs, abdomen and if necessary your nervous system (brain and nerves) will complete the picture. Your physician will now decide on the most appropriate investigations (tests) to undertake to confirm their clinical suspicions.
