Otolaryngology and family practice.

Abstract

Patients seek medical care for ENT disorders more than any other illness. Usually these patients are seen by primary care physicians, internists, pediatricians, or family physicians. Yet residents in these areas and medical students have little training in treating upper respiratory disease. The need for otolaryngologists to participate in the teaching of these groups requires their participation in ambulatory health care facilities. These include the hospital outpatient clinics, rural and urban health centers, and the model family practice units required in family practice residencies. A major contribution of otolaryngology is the training of nonspecialists to treat the common ENT disorders.