Gearing up your office for primary care

Abstract

As managed care dominates more of the heathcare market, ob/gyns will be called upon to provide a wider range of primary care services to women. Primary care ob/gyns and their office staffs will need a whole-person approach to health promotion and disease prevention. Primary care physicians will be expected to care for the everyday problems that cause women to seek medical attention. Common problems such as respiratory illness, musculoskeletal complaints, gastrointestinal disorders, urinary complaints, and skin rashes are the everyday problems for which women need advice and treatment. In our society, stress related illness is so common that any primary care physician needs to have the ability to address the psychosocial aspects of each woman's complaints. Finally, some chronic illness should be cared for by the primary care physician, especially in the early stages. Specifically, all primary care physicians should be able to competently care for hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, and thyroid disease in their uncomplicated stages. Providing comprehensive primary care for women will require time, effort, and training for physicians and their office staffs.