You can reduce your risk of chronic diseases by up to 30% with regular health check-ups—this is the role of primary care.
Primary care is the first point of contact within the healthcare system and is the part of overall total healthcare. In primary care, general practitioners (GPs) give advice or carry out diagnostic screening tests at the patients’ request, but their most important work comes from advising on lifestyle and carrying out preventive measures. It is a well-established fact that if a health abnormality is found early, it can be more effectively treated.
Because GPs see the same patients over many years, they can give personalized advice and assessment using long-term known facts about people's health. This GP-patient relationship means that the doctor will have a much better chance of early discovery of health problems. The immediate action can then be taken by the GP to enhance the health specialty patient-centred team that can help the person lead a normal, active, and healthier life.
Navigating the Healthcare System
Often the first step you will take in your journey through the healthcare system will start with a visit to your general practitioner (GP). You need that local expert who can assess your concerns. This may be your local GP. They will tell you if you, in fact, need a specialist and send you to the right one to provide the right care in the right place at the right time. Access to health care without delays.
Someone with whom you have a relationship already who sees you in your own environment walking to the local clinic on the street where you live, looking scared and upset, is likely to put you at ease. This local private general practitioner will ensure a safe transit when you cross service boundaries, are on the specialist conveyor belt, and have a thousand questions about what will happen to you next.
Local private GPs with admitting rights may take on the ultimate model and the safest model of care. This is relationship-based care based on the community's respect for the work of the local GP, who really does cut out all those service blocks and barriers. Seeing this person perform health assessments makes you realize your local GP will always be with you on your health journey.
The Importance of Regular Health Checkups
Regular visits to a doctor are important. They are one of the best touchpoints for screening for early signs of health issues. There may be signs of areas of concern with some of the key health variables which we’ll look at, but they may not be showing up as symptoms yet. This makes it particularly important to keep up with your "regular" doctor's visits.
At your regular visit to a doctor, common tests will be run for things like blood pressure, cholesterol, and possibly blood sugar (another quick and easy blood test). Other preventative screenings might also take place, such as a body mass index test (a nice, non-invasive test for this one!) or more specialized tests like colonoscopies or mammograms (more invasive, but age and risk would dictate how common these tests become). When you consider these examples, a trip to a GP can’t be a bad thing now, can it?
Building a Relationship with Your General Practitioner
There is a lot to be said for the continuity of care that comes from having a regular doctor, such as a general practitioner (GP).
With a general practitioner that you see every time, they get to know you. They become familiar with your history, your lifestyle, and what you want out of your medical care. This situation leads, more often than not, to better and more personalized care. They will know what advice has a chance of being relevant and might actually be followed.