Are you looking for a new primary care physician? Has your general practitioner recently retired or left the area? Have you recently relocated for work or school and find yourself in need of a family medical practice in your area? How do I locate a family doctor near me? If you are seeking an urgent care facility or walk-in clinic near Suwanee, Lawrenceville, or Duluth, GA, Macley Family Practice and Dr. Clement Ayanbadejo might be the healthcare provider for you.
When choosing a primary care doctor, it is important to do your research and educate yourself about which areas of medicine a family practitioner handles. This intel gathering will help you make an informed decision about your physician of choice as well as provide a gauge to measure their caliber as a healer.
What Is Family Medicine?
To help elucidate your understanding, here is an overview of the training a family doctor undergoes, their role in society, and services commonly rendered by this type of physician.
The specialty of Family Medicine is a board-certified classification that requires a three-year residency program of intensive training following medical school. The focus of this training involves patient-centric primary care for all age groups, encompasses a myriad of common as well as chronic conditions, and emphasizes preventive healthcare measures.
Some aspects of family medical practice training include the following disciplines:
--Emergency Medicine
--Surgery
--Visits to hospitalized office patients
--Visits to patients in nursing homes and senior living facilities
--Behavioral and Mental Health
--Psychiatry
--Critical Care
--Obstetrics and Gynecology
--Pediatrics
--Neo-Natal/Nursery
--Otolaryngology/ENT
--Cardiology
--Orthopedics
--Sports Medicine
--Ophthalmology
--Dermatology
--Geriatrics
--Hospice/Palliative Care
The goal of a family practitioner is to establish an ongoing, one-on-one patient-doctor relationship focused on integrated care while managing their individual needs for the betterment of the patient's overall health and well-being. As such, a primary care specialist should be dedicated to treating the whole person. After all, that is the purpose of this specialty.
Per the requirements of this classification, family physicians must adhere to strict recertification protocols, which include regular performance evaluations, continuing education seminars, and an annual recertification exam.
Why Seek Out a Primary Care Doctor?
Individuals may seek out a primary care physician for a variety of health and wellness concerns. Some examples of these issues may include, but are not limited to, these situations:
--Broken bones
--Sprains
--Cuts, abrasions, or lesions
--Acute or short-term illnesses
--Treatment of chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart issues, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc.
--Annual health evaluations
--Wellness check-ups, preventative testing, and other related health measures
Other diagnostic and surgical procedures that are routinely performed in the Family Medicine specialty include:
--Allergy injections
--Immunizations and flu vaccines
--Biopsy and excision of skin lesions
--Incision and drainage of abscesses
--Joint injections
--Routine lab tests and blood work
--Palliative and comfort care measures
--Neo-Natal care
--OB and GYN care
--Norplant placement and removal
--Intrauterine device/IUD placement and removal
--Women's health and reproductive services, such as breast exams, prescriptions for birth control, mammography, pap smears, pelvic exams, and other related services.
The History of Family Medicine
The specialty of Family Medicine was created in 1969. The American Academy of Family Physicians, or AAFP, is the national association of family doctors. Before October 1971, the organization was known as the American Academy of General Practice. The name was changed to more accurately reflect the evolving nature of primary health care and its significance to the global medical community. Today, it is one of the largest national medical organizations, with nearly 135,000 members spanning the 50 states, District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Furthermore, it serves as the only medical society devoted solely to primary care.
The AAFP was created to enhance and maintain high-quality standards for family practitioners who are providing ongoing, comprehensive health care to the general public. Its mission was to reverse the decline of general medicine and provide personal, individualized health care to people in all regions of the United States, regardless of their socioeconomic standing. In this regard, the organization has been a resounding success.
The Significance of Family Medicine
Currently, primary care practitioners conduct approximately one in five office visits, which translates to nearly 200 million visits per year. That accounts for almost 50 percent more visits than the next most frequently visited medical specialty. In truth, family doctors provide the majority of care for America’s lower-income, rural, urban, and underserved populations. Moreover, family practitioners are more equally distributed among the U.S. population than any other physician specialty, particularly in remote and urban areas. Thus, without the existence of family doctors, these rural and underserved areas would lack access to basic healthcare and preventative care services.
From cradle to grave, primary care doctors are the only specialists qualified to treat the broadest range of ailments and provide comprehensive, all-encompassing health care for individuals of all age groups. As such, the increasing popularity of walk-in clinics and urgent care facilities are on the rise. Those individuals looking for a doctor's office in the Duluth area or near Suwanee might want to give Dr. Clement Ayanbadejo a call for a consultation.
Dr. Ayanbadejo and his team are opening a new family medical practice and walk-in clinic in the Duluth, GA area. He is considered one of the best family doctors in Lawrenceville, and they are accepting new patients.
We have all been in those situations where you are traveling and away from home or have relocated to a new area. What if a health crisis arises? Can I find a doctor's office near me? Is there a family doctor near me who provides urgent care services? If any of these situations apply to you, consider giving the Macley Family Practice a call to schedule a consultation and see if their office can meet your needs. For those who live near Lawrenceville or Suwanee or are searching for a doctor's office in the Duluth area, this family medical practice wants to forge a new relationship with you. For more details on this new family medical practice, click here.