What Is an Internal Medicine Doctor?

An internal medicine doctor is a physician who specializes in the treatment, prevention and diagnoses of diseases that affect adults. An internal medicine doctor is also known as an internist, not to be confused with an intern who is a doctor in training. An internist treats the whole body, not just one aspect of it. They are often referred to as a doctor’s doctor because they are called in to help diagnosis cases that can be difficult to diagnose. Because they often work with other doctor’s in the care of their patient, such as a surgeon they most coordinate their patient’s care for optimal results. Internists who don’t focus on the whole body may specialize in one area such as a cardiologist who focuses care on the heart.

An internal medicine doctor has years of research training along with diagnostic skills that combine to make them highly qualified and skilled to treat and prevent diseases in adults. This can come in handy if you disease is not a textbook disease that is easily diagnosed. Think of television’s Dr. House for an example of this type of doctor. Hopefully your actual real life doctor will of course have a better bedside manner though.

If you are looking for an internist a good place to start your search is with referrals from friends or family members. Generally men over the age of thirty five a greater chance of seeing an internist than their younger counterparts so friends, family or co workers in this age range can probably give you a good referral. Since you are looking for a doctor who doesn’t generally practice family medicine as a specialist, the referral may also come from your family doctor who is treating you currently but is unable to diagnose your symptoms.
During your first visit you will likely go over your medical history, including your family history and it’s a good idea to try and remember before your visit as accurately as you can as much about your family’s medical history as well as your own. You should also be sure to bring your current prescription bottles with you so your doctor can see exactly what you are currently taking and who prescribed them. Sometimes prescribed medication can interact with other medications or even your diet and present symptoms that are initially confusing.

It can also help to write out all of your symptoms; no matter how unimportant you may feel they are ahead of time and how long you remember experiencing them. Patients can often feel rushed or forgetful in the doctor’s office so having things prewritten is a good way to jog your memory and make sure every symptom is brought up for discussion.

Be sure to coordinate your care with your primary doctor to ensure all of your medical records are open to the internist so your whole medical history can be brought into the diagnostic picture and hopefully your internist can shed light on your medical problems and you’ll be back in the main stream again.