Internal Medicine

Internists have a broad understanding of how the human body works, or fails to work. They primarily coordinate a patient’s care taking a “big picture” perspective, providing direct care or referring patients to other specialists for further diagnosis or treatment. Internists are the consummate diagnosticians, drawing on their knowledge of the relationships among the body’s systems to make connections between symptoms and potential causes. Other specialists see medical issues in a narrower, yet focused, approach, sometimes missing the larger picture which falls outside their scope of practice. In collaborative treatment situations, the internist takes overall responsibility for the patient’s care.

If a patient is unsure which specialist to see regarding his/her symptoms the best choice to pick a doctor is the internist/physician.

During an internist visit, the following may be provided:

• General, or annual, health screening;  health maintenance,
• Respiratory complaints e.g. sore throat, cough, earache
• Solutions for acute and or chronic illnesses with symptoms such as:
  • abdominal pains
  • chest pains
  • shortness of breath
  • infections
  • dizziness
  • headaches
  • diarrhea
  • vomiting
  • fever

General internists are equipped to handle a broad and comprehensive spectrum of illnesses that affect adults. They are recognized as experts in diagnosis, in treatment of chronic illness, and in health promotion and disease prevention—they are not limited to one type of medical problem or organ system. General internists are equipped to deal with most problems a patient brings—no matter how common or rare, or how simple or complex. They are specially trained to solve puzzling diagnostic problems and can handle severe chronic illnesses and situations where several different illnesses may strike at the same time.

With more complex medical issues internists are the ones coordinating chronic specialist’s care, overseeing, following patients’ preventative care and diagnosing/treating acute illnesses. Usually, in case of severe multiple-illnesses, the patient is treated in hospital by multi-specialty group. After being released, the internist coordinates the follow-up care.