question about gp

[anxietypeaker]

hey, i had a few questions about this specialty.

1) why does the US have IM/Peds/FP all as PCPs? For example, in england theres only ONE specialty of breadth (General Medicine).

2) ive heard a group of med students talking (just fooling around maybe) that IM/peds should become take more of a hospitalist role than PCP. They think that FP specialty would benefit from it (more interest in it since ALL ). They said theres no REAL reason to have a child ONLY PCP and an adult ONLY PCP. (note child/adult PCPs....not specialists of child or adults). Discuss.

3) does anyone know if englands GPs admit AND follow patients into the hospitals? What do pediatricians do in england (i know theyre not pcps..but with ped cards/endocrine/etc etc, what role do they play)?

thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[FionaS]

Here we go:

1. No idea. Not all that familiar with the US system, so don't know how that really works.
2. Don't really know what this is about either. Sorry!
3. This I can answer! GPs do not admit and follow their patients into hospitals, though they do refer to hospital care, and can send a pt in to be admitted by the on call medical/surgical team. GPs get informed when their pt is discharged, and do all the non-specialist follow up care (for instance, newly diagnosed diabetic would have all their diabetes managed by their GP).

Paediatricians are divided into 2 groups - community based and hospital based. Community based paeds mainly look after kids with learning difficulties/special needs, while hospital based paeds look after kids admitted acutely with illnesses. Speciality paeds docs, whom you pretty much only see in dedicated childrens hospitals, do the stuff like paediatric cardiology etc. Kids with general sniffles/needing immunisations/etc see the GP.