Difference between general practice and internal medicine?

General Practice vs Internal Medicine

Doctors in today’s world range from quacks to general practitioners and from internists to specialists. The difference between general practice and internal medicine is vast.

What are General Practice and Internal Medicine?

       General practice is also called as family practice and is a fairly broad practice dealing with patients at the grass root level. Family practice is the basic practice of medicine where the physician deals with the day to day illnesses and provides treatment for people of all age groups and both the sexes at the local level. The practitioners of general practice are called as General Practitioners and also called as GP. They provide the initial step of medical care for all the people irrespective of their diseases and then if need arises, refer them to specialist doctors. They are generally found to be working in private clinics and never in a hospital setup.

      Internal medicine is the branch of medicine which deals with the internal organs of the body in detail. The practitioners are called as Internists. The cases which cannot be dealt with the general practitioners are referred to the internists. Internal medicine is usually practiced at hospital setups and bigger clinics as they require specialized investigations, complete treatment and care which are otherwise found to be lacking in a clinic setup. Internists frequently need to admit patients and thus are commonly found running an OPD in a hospital. The internal medicine physicians have to complete 3 years of post graduation after the completion of graduation in medicine. The 3 years of study is expected to be completed as a resident doctor and this duration helps the doctor to specialize in the fields of medicine and attend to patients more minutely and accurately after admission.

Difference in the treatment provided

           After falling sick and trying plenty of home remedies, the patient is first rushed to the general practitioner who deals with the first aid and gives correct direction to the patient.  General practice deals with all types of ailments and illnesses. A general practitioner needs to be well versed with all the forms of diseases be it those of children or women or men or the elderly. His knowledge needs to be up to date as the patients will come to them first. A patient with any severe disease or any complication needs to deal with a doctor who has completed his study of internal medicine. Certain allied fields like sports medicine, psychiatry and skin, dermatology are also part of internal medicine. Internal medicine classifies and is divided into many fields so as to produce doctors who are thorough in knowledge in their respective fields. General practice can be likened to being a jack of all trades and master of none. There is a working knowledge of all the fields of medicine so as to have an initial workup for each patient walking into the clinic. This is helpful as it fulfills the immediate medical needs of the patient and gives acute relief. Until a serious disorder arises the general practice is sufficient to deal with patients.

Summary:  In a society where variety of diseases arise, one must be aware of the fact that both general practice and internal medicine are different and both are important and useful at different setups. General practice is essentially an acute care practice for local patients, in emergencies and for minor complaints. Internal medicine deals with more grave disorders and patients admitted in the hospital. They specialize in infectious diseases, cardiac and respiratory disorders along with more in depth knowledge about all medical conditions.

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