Family medicine

Effective and operative integration of Medical Club business lines is based on the introduction into practice of a conceptually new model of medical servicing, namely: family medicine.

Family medicine is a civilized system of prophylaxis and rendering primary medical aid, which combines biological and clinical aspects, as well as psychology, enabling us to provide continuous and all-round assistance to a patient and his/her family.

It is known that in 80% of cases where the primary medical aid is sought, the problem may be solved by a family doctor, without involving profile specialists and in-patient facilities. The system is extremely convenient and economically beneficial, hence adopted in many countries abroad. The world experience shows that a transition to the primary medical aid organization on the principle centered on a general practitioner (family doctor) leads to a considerable improvement of the quality and availability of medical aid: more attention is paid to preventive aspects. This practice is based on the principles of professionalism and individual approach to a patient.

Perhaps, the largest advantage of the family medicine is the prophylactic work aimed at preventing diseases and relapses thereof at any age.

The onset and further development of many diseases may be prognosticated after careful studying the family anamnesis/ since a number of diseases are of a family nature. Transmitted hereditarily may be not only the similarity of appearance, but also the specificities of metabolism, the character of organs and systems functioning, predisposing to a number of diseases, including hypertension and cardiac ischemia, metabolic impairments, asthma and allergy, vascular pathology and obesity, as well as many other disease. It often happens that not diseases as such but only predisposition thereto is inherited. Realization of genetic inclinations is governed to a greet extent by the outside effects, life conditions, nutrition, unfavorable factor, nervous overloads, family or local traditions. So, the family members, even those living apart, not infrequently have similar life style, nutrition and leisure spending modes, and the adversities of one member are perceived keenly enough by all the rest members.

The Medical Club family doctor observes all family members during a lengthy time period and not only knows their medical histories but is aware of the risks of hereditary diseases and predisposition thereto, this making it possible to take the prophylactic measures and reveal diseases at the early stages. Family doctor:

1. Analyses a patient health condition as a whole, taking into account his/her physical, psychological and socials specific features.
2. Selects the most optimal method of treating the revealed diseases and controls a patient compliance.
3. Effect a long-term observation over a patient health condition.
4. Consults his/her patients in case of an acute disease, either visiting them or by phone.
5. If necessary, arranges counseling by profile specialists, laboratory and instrumental investigations.
6. Carries out prophylactic, explanatory and educational work in the family.
7. Organizes seasonal inoculations

 The family doctor is not just a physician but a person, to whom you may fearlessly trust your family health, and who is ready to help you any time. Due to the good, close and long-lasting relations, the mutually faithful relationships are established between a physician and family members. The place of a general practitioner in the healthcare system is unique: he/she directly communicates with a patient and his/her family; bears responsibility for the heaths of people under observation; ensures treatment and prophylaxis, involving to this effect the most up-to-date scientific advances; coordinates efforts of the profile specialists.

At the Medical Club clinic, a family doctor closely cooperates with specialists in gynecology, proctology, urology, otolaryngology and surgery.

Following such a model of medical servicing organization at Medical Club, the individual programs for adults and children are envisaged. These are the programs of dynamic health control, prophylaxis and treatment of patients with sub-compensated and compensated chronic diseases.

Within the framework of such package programs the following spectrum of medical services is offered:

1. Consultation by a family doctor with consequent drawing up a program of medical support (scheduled diagnostics, prophylaxis and treatment).
2. Consultations by specialist in various lines of the clinic activities:
   • gynecologist, involving additional instrumental (colposcopy, ultrasound investigations of the small pelvis organs) and laboratory tests (analysis of discharges and cytology);
   • urologist
   • proctologist (after 40 years)
   • oculist
   • otolaryngologist
   • dermatologist
   • cardiologist
   • neurologist
   • gastroenterologist
   • mammologist

   According to a family doctor’s recommendations, consultations by other profile specialists (neurosurgeon, maxillofacial surgeon, orthopedist-surgeon, vertebrologist, pulmonologist, proctologist, infectionist, oncologist and hematologist) are arranged.

3. Instrumental and laboratory diagnostics.
4. Staying in the in-patient facility for up to 80 days (including drugs for the sum as indicated).

The clinic medical servicing is based on the agreement, specifying a definite guaranteed scope of medical services and the procedure of using thereof. Patient servicing organization is alike patient servicing under the insurance medicine model adopted in the Western Europe countries, which has proven its effectiveness comparing to the state model. Such an approach provides the opportunity to secure the maximal safety level both to a patient and a doctor.