When you are debating between General practitioners VS Specialist doctors, it can be a tough choice. As far as a GP is concerned a Specialist doctor has to be chosen for the treatment of a disease, ailment, or complication. As with every other service, a doctor is an expert in that particular field. But a specialist also knows of certain things which a general practitioner doesn’t. A specialist is known to treat a specific group of patients and not another one. The most important things for a specialist to get to know about his patients are their previous illnesses, treatments, tests, and treatments. If the previous treatment is successful, then we can safely assume that the current one will also succeed.
This is important to remember when treating any disease, especially chronic ones. With chronic illnesses, we are always on the lookout for effective treatment. The general practitioner looks at the disease, reviews, and tests the patient, and then tries to prescribe the right drug. In some cases, patients are put on drugs that might work. But only the specialist knows that and what these drugs are for.
A patient comes to the doctor complaining about a joint pain and says that he cannot sleep. The doctor diagnoses the patient with rheumatoid arthritis and prescribes sleeping pills. The patient says that these pills don’t work. So the doctor recommends a change of sleeping pills. The patient is then seen by a specialist and that doctor recommends a different drug and sends the patient to the rheumatologist. The patient complains that this drug doesn’t work and so on. Finally, the doctor, who had recommended sleeping pills, goes to the patient and tries to find out what he was trying to say. His patient tells him that he thinks that it has something to do with the medication that was working previously. So the doctor prescribes this drug as the patient had been taking it before. But he has no idea why this drug worked and so on.
As we have seen here, one person recommends one drug, while another recommends another, and so on. That’s where the specialist comes in and he is able to guide the doctor and help the doctor diagnose a patient.
General practitioners VS Specialist doctors
As we saw in the example above, it is always beneficial to have a second opinion on any matter. A second opinion can be a great help. As per the Indian laws, you are allowed to go to another doctor in case your specialist fails to diagnose your disease. If your specialist agrees with the recommendations of the other doctor, then you will be able to benefit from it. If he doesn’t agree, then you can go to a third doctor and so on. If the specialist prescribes a drug and it doesn’t work, then you can go to a fourth doctor, and so on.
However, there are some things that are the responsibility of a specialist. The doctor can decide on what test to perform, what treatment to administer, and what the possible outcomes are. He can also decide how much time a patient needs to be seen in his office.
