7 Reason Why having an After Hours House Doctors is Necessary

Home visiting doctors treat patients with all kinds of illnesses and injuries. The doctor can visit anytime whether it is on the weekend, late at night, or after work. Home visiting doctors come into play when general practices are closed, and you need urgent medical attention. However, people should not view their after-hours medical care as a replacement for their general care practitioner. Unfortunately, most patients don’t realize the importance of having a general practitioner who has been in charge of their health for years or even a lifetime. These are a few reasons why having a specialist family doctor is necessary.

Generalist

One reason why having a home doctor is necessary is that these practitioners are generalists. That means a home doctor doesn’t focus on specific diseases only or just one body organ. Unlike pediatricians who only treat children, home doctors aren’t specialists. A general practitioner with vast knowledge and experience is well-positioned to help patients with different mental and physical symptoms that may arise. After all, an issue with one body organ can impact the rest of the body. Chronic lower back pain is one of the signs that general practitioners use to know that their patients are depressed.

Understand You

Of course, having a regular home doctor means he or she will have ample time to understand your health. Developing a relationship with your home visiting doctor will allow open communication and make you feel more comfortable than ever. Your relationship with your general practitioner will help build mutual trust, understanding, and knowledge. With a home doctor, it means that a patient won’t have to provide details about their health every time they have a consultation with their doctor. Your home visiting doctor will have all these details in their medical notes, so there is no need of giving details about your previous medical history. A family doctor that has treated you for years has an opportunity to know everything about your medical history. Understanding your health status helps a family doctor to monitor your health progress, watch for red flags regarding your health, and make an accurate diagnosis. A family doctor that has treated several generations will also have an in-depth understanding of the family health history.

Home visiting doctors will care for people in their 20s and teens and treat toddlers as well. A home visiting doctor can attend to a patient for years or even decades. These doctors treat a wide range of conditions, and patients can now view them as their primary caregivers at any point in their life. That means patients can develop a lasting relationship with their caregivers in the long run.

Chronic Conditions Management

Home visiting doctors are well-positioned to manage any chronic condition such as Arthritis, Asthma, and Diabetes. Home physicians are also experienced and knowledgeable in completing a care plan for patients with chronic conditions. As a result, they have helped patients improve their overall outcomes. The care plan approach involves patients in the ongoing care of their illnesses or injuries. It also promotes a team-based approach where other caregivers such as dieticians, podiatrists, and physiotherapists are involved in your care. Their involvement gives access to Medicare rebates that patients may not find elsewhere.

Advice on Preventative Health

Of course, health isn’t about just diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Instead, it is about taking preventable and sensible measures to make sure everyone is healthy. Home visiting doctors are involved in many preventative initiatives in the life of a patient. For example, family physicians offer advice on all immunization types to help patients prevent diseases. Home visiting doctors also guide how a patient can detect or prevent early cancers through breast checks, PAP smears, and skin checks. Family practitioners offer guidance on how people can reduce the risk of heart disease, lower their cholesterol, maintain a healthy range, regular BP checks, and give up smoking. Your home visiting doctor may also help you devise ways to prevent osteoporosis and diabetes. In short, a home visiting doctor is well-positioned to advise patients what preventative measures are available for their conditions.

Local Knowledge

Of course, a local home visiting doctor has detailed knowledge of available services in your local health facilities. Their experience is crucial for many health conditions, but particularly for mental health patients who are in dire need of counseling services. Your home visiting doctor should be your first port of call whenever you have a health issue. However, call a home visiting doctor only when it is urgent, and it isn’t possible to travel to a health facility near you.

Coordinated and Continued Care

Your home visiting doctor is responsible for coordinating your care in case your condition worsens and requires the involvement of organ specialists. Your home doctor can refer you to an allied health professional or medical specialists such as podiatrist or psychologist. Other health professionals acknowledge the role of your home doctor and will communicate details of consultations with him or her. That allows your home doctor to take charge of your continuity care.

Save Money and Lives

Research has found that using home visiting doctors can help save lives as well as money for a healthcare system. The study further found that continued reliance on house call medical care has led to a drastic decline in total healthcare cost. Adding an extra family doctor for every 10,000 people can reduce emergency room visits, lower surgery rates by 11 percent, and hospital admissions by 5 percent. These statistics are more impressive than cost savings. Besides saving the country money, home visiting doctors have helped take healthcare a notch higher.

The first contact for someone with unexpected rash, nagging back pain, and sudden flu symptoms will be their family doctor. Home physicians can be the solution for most healthcare situations. However, emergencies are an exception and a valid reason to visit an emergency room. Unfortunately, many people use urgent care or home care services as their primary source of healthcare.