Family Medicine
Family medicine is an academic and scholarly discipline with a focus on primary care.
Characteristics of the discipline
This is the point of first contact in health care, dealing with all health issues regardless of age, sex or other characteristics of patients. It is a field that coordinates health care and works with other specialties. In family medicine, health care is focused on the patient, his surroundings and family. Effective communication is promoted as part of the consultation, which allows for the development of a durable patient relationship with the doctor to ensure long-term and continuous care shaped by the needs and expectations of the patient. It concerns a very diverse range of diseases – both acute health problems and chronic illnesses. The aim is to promote health and well- being through adequate and effective intervention. It addresses the multidimensional problems of physical, psycho-logical, social, cultural and existential health – playing a special role in protecting the health of the local community.
Characteristics of the specialty
Family physicians are specialists, personal physicians,who are responsible for the first line of health protection for patients regardless of gender or age.
They care for patients in the context of their families, responding to the needs of the whole community. They are the first doctors who react to ailments by directing them to appropriate treatment, providing further care, observation, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and preventive actions.