Family Medicine for all ages

Family medicine is a specialty added to the list of medical specialties recognised in Lebanon. The family doctor provides advice in the field of health protection for the whole family, of all ages, as well as many other medical services. That's what Dr. Maya Romani, a specialist in family medicine, said in an interview to 'Arabstoday.' AT: What is Family Medicine? MR: Family Medicine is a relatively new medical specialty. It requires a 4-year specialisation after studying General Medicine. It helps provide health services and prevention programmes to all age groups: young, adults and elderly, and women and men as well. It deals with a person throughout all stages of his life, since his day of birth. The services usually provided are: vaccines, diagnosis and treatment of many childhood diseases and school health; diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases; travel tips and advice and vaccinations; simple surgeries; pregnancy monitoring and gynaecological care before and after pregnancy; X-rays and laboratory tests for early detection of diseases and cancer; psychological support for depression, anxiety replete, panic attacks and obsessive-compulsive disorder. AT: Being a family doctor, do you find the elderly difficult to commit to the tips and instructions you give them, especially those who suffer from chronic diseases? MR: The elderly suffering from chronic diseases often take many medicines, and the basic problem is to convince them to abide by the drug and not to forget it. In addition, you have to get them to accept advice, since they assume that they have sufficient experience in life. There lies the importance of family doctor, as we acquire experience in dealing with the elderly.   AT: Many people are unaware of the importance of these services provided by family medicine, what do you say to them? MR: In addition to treating diseases, family doctor, takes care of helping people look after their health through prevention. They deal with diseases of all parts of the body making it easier for the patient to co-ordinate medication and treatment.