Abstract
Basic outpatient care for the elderly in Slovakia is provided by a general practitioner for the adults (also called a district, general practitioner or family doctor). The number of first contact doctors in our country is significantly lower than the average in the countries of the European Union.
We generally call the general practitioner a first-line geriatrician. The work of the general practitioner in making a diagnosis in an elderly is influenced by respecting the peculiarities of the disease in old age. Pharmacotherapy is an important part of general practitioner care for the elderly. Statistically, prescribing is the most common medical procedure.
A specific element in the work of first contact doctors is the visiting service in the apartment of elderly and chronically ill, immobile patients, or of acutely ill seniors who cannot leave their apartment or bed. The irreplaceable function of general practitioners is gate-keeping, healthcare management, sorting function, integration of examinations and treatment, its continuity and availability. The importance of secondary prevention and rehabilitation care is emphasized in the preventive care for the elderly. A characteristic feature of the elderly’s illness is the close interrelationship between the state of health and the social situation. An important role of the general practitioner is to cooperate with other units of formal and informal primary care. Communication with the old man’s family is essential. The general practitioner has an irreplaceable role in health education activities. Palliative care is an important part of the first contact physician’s job.
In order for a general practitioner to ensure adequate care, he/she must first and foremost be willing to take care of the patient, at the same time he/she must be able to take care of the senior. Knowledge and education in the care of geriatric patients are also crucial. The role and position of the general practitioner in caring for the elderly is irreplaceable (Ref. 24). Text in PDF www.lekarskyobzor.sk.
Key words: general practitioner, family physician, senior, old people, geriatrics, pharmacotherapy, prevention, long term care.
Lek Obz 2022; 71 (4): 168 – 172
Ivan BARTOŠOVIČ 1, Ivana IVÁNKOVÁ BARTOŠOVIČOVÁ 2
1 Vysoká škola zdravotníctva a sociálnej práce sv. Alžbety Bratislava, Ústav zdravotníckych disciplín, študijný odbor ošetrovateľstvo, vedúca prof. PhDr. H. Koňošová, PhD.
2 OZS Skalica, ambulancia všeobecného lekára pre dospelých
Cite:
BARTOŠOVIČ I., BARTOŠOVIČOVÁ I.I.: Some aspects of general practitioner care for the elderly. Lek Obz 2022; 71 (4): 168 – 172
