DR SUPRIYA SETHUMADAVAN

Who is a general physician?

A general practitioner is a doctor who does not specialize in one particular area of medicine and provides routine health care like physical examinations and immunizations while assessing and treating many different conditions, including illnesses and injuries.

What does a general physician do?

General physicians consult patients with special or difficult problems and only see patients who are referred to them by other doctors. GPs are specially trained to care for cases with complex illnesses, in which the diagnosis may be challenging. Their broad training provides expertise in the treatment of problems affecting different body systems in a patient. They are also qualified to deal with the social and psychological impact of the disease.

What diseases are treated by a general physician?

• Anemia
• Asthma
• Cerebrovascular accident (strokes)
• Dementia
• Diabetes
• Emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Endocrinological
• Epilepsy (seizures)
• Gastroenteritis
• Gastrointestinal system
• Haematological
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Ischaemic heart disease (angina, heart attack)
• Liver disease including alcoholic liver disease
• Lung fibrosis
• Pituitary disease
• Pneumonia
• Thyroid disease

Difference between a general physician and pediatrician?

The biggest difference between general physician and pediatrician is that general physician is like adult pediatricians. They only care for adults. A family practitioner is a pediatrician and general physician combined into one specialty and cares for both children and adults.

Does general physician perform surgeries?

General Physicians can do many simple outpatient surgical procedures other rudimentary surgeries.

What to expect at a General physician appointment?

A general physician has a very broad range of medical knowledge and will tailor the interview to the patient's complaint. He or she will ask about your current symptoms, when did they start, character, duration, relieving and exacerbating factors and also previous tests and treatments. An experienced general physician can learn a great deal by simple observation and can then decide on the most appropriate tests to undertake in order to confirm his or her clinical suspicions.