Internal Medicine - Experts Serving Different Roles

Internal Medicine may sound simple, but this field is incredibly complex, leading to medical professionals in this field being refereed to as “the doctor's doctor”. A doctor who focuses on internal medicine, often refereed to as a internist, is unlike most other doctors. Rather than concerning themselves with one particular area of the body, internists are usually dedicated to the study and diagnoses of problems of the whole body. Their area of focus are diseases and disorders that afflict multiple parts of the body, often in seemingly unrelated systems of the body. Given the complex nature of the area of their study, these internists are often called on to serve many roles in the medical field.

The primary role of an internist is to aid and consult in the diagnoses and treatment plan for diseases or injuries affecting multiple areas of the body or whose cause and scope are unclear. Like a medical detective, they will take available evidence given to them through testing or consultation with the referring doctor and eliminate possible causes for the illness. After helping to diagnose the problem, internists will work with specialists and general physicians to create a treatment plan that will across multiple areas of the body, treating the patient as a whole rather than a collection of different systems.

Doctors of internal medicine are also especially adept at dealing with patients suffering from multiple illnesses or disorders at the same time. Given their knowledge and focus on the whole body, these doctors are able to fully understand how these unrelated problems may affect each other, and how any potential treatments may adversely or positively affect the other illnesses and problems. They can use this whole body knowledge to advise specialists in these particular areas, overseeing the whole patient's well being.

Furthermore, these internal experts take a great deal of pride in their ability to work directly with patients in the care and treatment of their medical problems. Using their knowledge of the whole body, they can create a generalized plan for patients to deal with potential medical issues.

If you find yourself with medical problems beyond the scope of a specialist, consider scheduling an appointment with an internal medicine expert. Internists are uniquely qualified to address an array of medical issues that no other doctor can. He or she is prepared to treat you in ways that another doctor cannot.