Medical providers are doctors who offer medical care for every condition and injury imaginable. A medical doctor completes many years of medical education, residency training, and fellowship training to be able to provide their patients with high quality comprehensive, and personalized patient care.
Medical providers can be of many types, and the type of medical provider you should see depends upon your unique healthcare needs.
In this article, we will talk about different types of medical providers that patients most commonly see as well as explore how medical providers impact patient care.
Types Of Medical Providers
There are two basic types of medical providers: primary care providers and specialty care providers.
The most common type of primary care providers that patients consult are:
· Internal Medicine Doctors – Internal medicine doctors or internists are medical doctors who specialize in the internal organs and systems of the body and offer diagnosis treatment and prevention of a wide variety of health conditions.
In addition to providing the diagnosis and treatment of acute medical conditions, an internist also manages chronic health conditions which allows them to develop a long-lasting relationship with their patients. An internal medicine doctor may be specialized in a subspecialty, such as cardiology, gastroenterology, and emergency medicine, among others.
When internal medicine doctors specialize in emergency medicine, they are called emergency medicine doctors. Emergency medicine doctors address pressing health problems, such as heart attacks, strokes, acute injuries, and other life-threatening conditions that require immediate treatment.
Emergency medicine doctors who practice in urgent care centers address numerous non-life-threatening injuries and conditions such as burns, cuts, colds, back pains influenza, sprains, strains, and more.
Other types of medical providers who are primary care doctors are family medicine doctors, pediatricians, obstetricians and gynecologists, and geriatricians. On the other hand, specialty medical care providers are the doctors who provide specialized treatment. Examples include endocrinologists, gastroenterologists, hematologists, nephrologists, neurologists, oncologists, ophthalmologists, or otolaryngologists.
How Medical Providers Impact Patient Care
By playing a crucial role in patient care, medical providers can significantly impact the overall healthcare experience and outcomes of patients. Following are the ways through which a medical provider can impact patient care.
They Pinpoint the Underlying Cause of the Patient’s Discomforting Symptoms
Our body is a complex structure that is made of different tissues, organs, and systems, all of which work together to maintain the function of the body and support life. When anything goes wrong with any organ, tissue, or system of the body, we experience troublesome symptoms. These symptoms may range from minor pain and swelling to loss of mobility and function impairment that can significantly impact a person’s independence, productivity, work, social interactions, and overall quality of life.
Medical providers are responsible for diagnosing medical conditions. Through their experience, knowledge, clinical skills, and diagnostic tools, medical providers assess patients’ symptoms, conduct physical exams, order and interpret diagnostic tests, and pinpoint the underlying cause of their uncomfortable symptoms.
They Address Patient’s Unique Health Conditions and Injuries
Medical providers are not only skilled to reach the underlying cause of your discomforting symptoms, but they also develop treatment plans to address the cause. The treatment plans developed by medical providers are tailored to patients’ specific needs.
Before developing the treatment plan, medical providers consider the medical history of patients, health conditions that are running in their family, medical conditions with which they have been diagnosed before, lifestyle factors, and their treatment preferences.
In order to address a patient’s unique health condition or injury, a medical provider can prescribe medications, recommend therapies such as physical therapy, suggest lifestyle modification, and refer you to a specialist.
In addition to developing treatment plans, medical providers also monitor treatment progress, make adjustments to the treatment plan as necessary, and provide ongoing support.
They Educate PatientsAbout Their Current and Past Medical Conditions
Medical providers understand that patient education is crucial for successful patient care. Therefore, they provide patients with the necessary education on their health condition, diagnosis, and treatment options in a clear and understandable manner. They also empower them to make informed choices about their health while advising them to actively participate in their care, follow treatment plans, and adopt healthy behaviors that lead to better outcomes.
They Provide Emotional Support and Empathy
The ability of medical providers to demonstrate empathy and provide their patients with emotional support can greatly impact patient care. Medical providers understand that healthcare experiences can be stressful, particularly when an individual deals with a serious medical problem or undergoes an invasive procedure.
Medical providers display compassion and empathy and foster trust and a sense of security for their patients. This, in turn, can influence a patient’s adherence to the treatment plan and satisfaction with the treatment plan.
They Collaborate with Other Healthcare Professionals and Provide Coordinated Care
Our bodily organs and system work in coordination, and when they are in distress, they require the expertise of different medical professionals who are experts in treating the unique problem with each organ or system.
Medical providers collaborate with each other and provide coordinated care to patients who are dealing with complex medical issues of more than a single organ or system. The collaborative effort among the medical providers ensures comprehensive care and a holistic approach to addressing diseases.
Medical Providers in Fairless Hills PA
If you are experiencing discomforting symptoms but are not sure which type of medical provider to see for your health problem, consider visiting our team of medical providers at Patient Care Now Urgent Care.
At our state-of-the-art urgent care center, we have a team of board-certified emergency medicine physicians and other providers who offer a full spectrum of services required for urgent but non-life-threatening medical conditions and injuries. Our providers offer urgent care services to patients of all ages including children and adults, as well as offer onsite urgent orthopedic care services to ease orthopedic symptoms. If necessary, we also refer our patients to healthcare specialists.
For more information about the urgent care services we offer, call us today at (267) 202-6433, or fill in our online check-in form. You can also walk into our clinic anytime, seven days a week, 365 days a year, even on holidays.
