What does family medicine entail?

Family practise encompasses a wide range of issues. On one end are family physicians, who may be their community’s only provider of health care. They do surgery, care for the very ill in hospital critical care units, handle major trauma cases, stabilize patients for transfer if required, staff a hospital, and deliver babies, including performing caesarean sections, in addition to maintaining an office practise. In rural places, family physicians who practise this way are widespread. Family physicians, on the other hand, confine their practise to office visits and coordinate complete treatment for their patients in a multi-speciality group. There are  curriculum training for family medicine in Malaysia, but what about other parts of the world?

Canada

After earning their Doctor of Medicine degree, prospective family doctors in Canada are required to undergo a residency in family medicine at a recognized university. Although most residency programmes last two years, graduates can apply for a third year, which leads to accreditation from the College of Family Physicians of Canada in areas such as emergency medicine, palliative care, aged care, sports and exercise medicine, and women’s health, among others.

United States

There is a scarcity of family physicians, according to several sources (and also other primary care providers, i.e. internists, paediatricians, and general practitioners). Since 1998, the per capita supply of primary care physicians has risen by around 1% every year. The number of D.O. graduates and graduates of foreign medical schools (IMGs) who pursue primary care residencies has more than compensated for a recent fall in the number of M.D. graduates choosing a residency in primary care. Nonetheless, forecasts show that demand for family physicians will outstrip supply by 2020.

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Australia

In Australia, general practise services are covered under the Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS), which is a government-run health insurance programme. Access to specialized care in Australia requires a recommendation from a general practitioner. Most general practitioners collaborate with other GPs in a general practitioner practise (GPP), which is aided by practise nurses and administrative employees. Other health professionals, such as pharmacists, are being incorporated into general practise in order to establish an integrated multidisciplinary healthcare team to give primary care.

Japan

Family medicine was recognized as a speciality for the first time in 2015, and there are presently about 500 qualified family doctors. In view of rising health-care expenses, the Japanese government has pledged to expand the number of family doctors in an effort to enhance the cost-effectiveness and quality of primary care. The Japan Primary Care Association (JPCA) is the country’s largest academic family medicine organization. Following a two-year internship, the JPCA family medicine training programme is a three-year curriculum. The Japanese Medical Speciality Board establishes the norm for board-certified family doctors’ specialist training. Patients in Japan have free access to healthcare, which means they can skip primary care.

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