General practitioner

A general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who practices general medicine. GPs have distinct expertise and experience in providing whole person medical care, whilst managing the complexity, uncertainty and risk associated with the continuous care they provide. By contrast with specialist physicians, GPs do not have a specific specialist area; they can diagnose and treat many different conditions, while also determining when a patient needs to see a doctor with more specialised training in a particular area. Generally, they participate more in outpatient care as opposed to inpatient care. The term primary care physician is used in the United States. GPs work at the heart of their communities, striving to provide comprehensive and equitable care for everyone, taking into account their health care needs, stage of life and background. GPs work in, connect with and lead multidisciplinary teams that care for people and their families, respecting the context in which they live, aiming to ensure all of their physical health and mental health needs are met. They are trained to treat patients to levels of complexity that vary between countries. A core element in general practice is continuity of care, that bridges episodes of various illnesses over time. Greater continuity with a general practitioner has been shown to reduce the need for out-of-hours services and acute hospital admittance. Continuous care by the same general practitioner has been found to reduce mortality. The role of a GP varies between and within countries, and is often dependent on local needs and circumstances. In urban areas their roles may focus on: care of chronic/complex health conditions treatment of urgent/acute non-life-threatening diseases mental health care preventive care, including health education and immunisation. screening/early detection of disease palliative care care coordination/referral to allied health professions or specialised medical care In rural areas, a GP may...