Primary care physician
Primary Care Physician
A Primary Care Physician (PCP), also known as a Primary Care Provider, is a healthcare professional who practices general medicine. Primary Care Physicians are often the first point of contact for patients seeking non-emergency medical care.
Pronunciation
Primary Care Physician: /ˈpraɪmɛri keɪr fɪˈzɪʃən/
Etymology
The term "Primary Care Physician" originates from the concept of 'primary care' in health services, which refers to the first point of consultation for all patients. The term 'physician' is derived from the Latin word 'physica', meaning 'natural science'.
Definition
A Primary Care Physician is a doctor who provides both the first contact for a person with an undiagnosed health concern as well as continuing care of varied medical conditions, not limited by cause, organ system, or diagnosis.
Roles and Responsibilities
Primary Care Physicians are often responsible for providing comprehensive health care services and maintaining a long-term relationship with patients. They provide preventive care, teach healthy lifestyle choices, identify and treat common medical conditions, assess the urgency of medical problems and direct patients to the best place for care.
Related Terms
- General Practitioner: A medical doctor who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education to patients.
- Family Medicine: A medical specialty devoted to comprehensive health care for people of all ages.
- Internal Medicine: The medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases.
- Pediatrics: The branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Primary care physician
- Wikipedia's article - Primary care physician
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski