Here’s a simple guide to family medicine from the words of a family medicine specialist!
By Dheevya Gunaseelan
Family medicine physicians often care for multiple generations within a family, building strong relationships and gaining unique insights into shared health concerns. This long-term connection allows them to spot patterns and address potential issues early, making preventive care more personalised and effective for each family member. In an interview with Dr. Leong Pooi Yee, who specialises in Family Physician, Health Screening and Occupational Health from Regency Medical Care Centre, she answered some questions we had about family medicine.
#1 How is a family medicine specialist different from a general practitioner?
Dr Leong explained that family medicine specialists complete four years of training, including rotations in fields like dermatology, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry, and internal medicine, to develop broad expertise. “We need to know basically a bit of everything in general so that we can treat patients well in that manner,” she explains.
This extensive training equips family medicine specialists to excel in preventive care – such as health screenings to detect and prevent illness early – and chronic disease management, including diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and cholesterol. Unlike general practitioners, family medicine specialists gain hands-on experience across multiple disciplines, allowing them to provide well-rounded, comprehensive care for patients of all ages.
#2 Is there a reason why family medicine specialists focus on addressing chronic diseases?
Family medicine specialists work primarily within communities, often in Klinik Kesihatan or private general practitioner settings, focusing on preventing and managing non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.
Dr. Leong explains that, “Why specifically non-communicable diseases is because if you look at our NHMS latest survey in 2023, it shows that actually the non-communicable diseases are at the highest point and we need to really reduce it so that they don’t go into the disease itself”. In other words, this could help to reduce the burden of chronic diseases.
According to the latest NHMS 2023 survey, non-communicable diseases are at an all-time high in Malaysia, with 1 in 6 people affected by diabetes, one-third dealing with hypertension, and nearly half the population facing obesity.
#3 How do you manage a patient who comes in with multiple co-morbidities?
Family medicine specialists focus on managing conditions like hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, and heart disease intending to optimise medications and prevent complications. Dr. Leong elaborates that family medicine specialists employ three levels of prevention: primary, by screening healthy individuals to reduce disease risk; secondary, by managing at-risk patients (such as prediabetes) to prevent disease progression; and tertiary, by improving quality of life for those with established conditions like stroke, helping them maintain independence. This often involves a multidisciplinary approach, coordinating with physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and other specialists to support patients in leading fuller, more functional lives.
