What is Primary Care?
Primary care is the medical discipline to maintain your overall health. A primary care doctor is the gatekeeper, responsible for your routine medical care, including exams, and physicals, laboratory work, imaging studies, and more. Primary care also includes treating both acute and chronic illnesses.
Conditions Treated in Primary Care
Primary care services are available to treat a wide variety of illnesses including colds, flu, infections, fever, and other acute illnesses. Primary care also oversees the management of chronic diseases and conditions including asthma, allergies, obesity, heart issues, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
When You Should Visit a Primary Care Doctor
In addition to routine physicals and exams, you should visit a primary care doctor if you have a fever that doesn't go away or is increasing, pain that is becoming more severe, increasing severity of symptoms associated with an illness, or if you’ve been involved in an injury or accident.
How To Choose a Primary Care Doctor
Choosing a primary care doctor is an important decision you will make about your healthcare. Choose carefully, because you want a primary care doctor who you can talk to, and who cares about your health. You want a primary care doctor who takes the time to listen, answer your questions, and address your concerns.
What To Expect During a Primary Care Appointment
When you visit your primary care doctor, your doctor will perform a comprehensive physical examination and may order laboratory testing or imaging studies, depending on your symptoms. Depending on the diagnosis, your primary care doctor may prescribe medications to reduce or eliminate your symptoms, which can include antibiotics or antivirals, anti-inflammatory medication, and other medications. Your primary care doctor may also recommend additional treatments to promote healing or make a referral to a specialist if necessary.
Want To Know More About Primary Care Services?
To discover more about primary care services, talk with an expert. Call Dr. Lisa Barrett at Maranatha Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in El Paso, TX, or Las Cruces, NM. You can reach her in the office by calling (915) 300-0287, so call today.