Everyone needs a general practitioner or primary care physician, and most have trouble finding the one that is right for them. I want to blow open the mistakes people make and help you figure out how to get it done. Many patients I speak to "make do" with their primary care doctor, and I think that is the biggest mistake people can make when looking after themselves.

Why is the "right" general practitioner important

Your body will travel through life with you and you will be together right at the end.

It will break down and you will get ill multiple times. How well you keep it maintained is vital. If you have a poorly maintained body, you will either have a shorter life, or a more uncomfortable one. Maintenance is all about having a good relationship with a primary care doctor. It won't make you never get sick, but you will be more likely to recover faster, be more productive and be more able to enjoy your life.

It sounds a bit washy, so here is a real life example.

A friend of mine, who we will call Sarah, got ill with pneumonia. She had a great general practitioner who she saw promptly. Sarah was treated well and continued to get better. She trusted her doctor, and didn't want to let him down, so she went for her follow-up appointment, even though she was feeling much better. The general practitioner used that appointment to review the illness and figured out that the type of pneumonia was a bit odd for someone of Sarah's age and general health. So he did some more tests, which showed up a very early uncommon blood cancer. That was able to be treated before causing any other symptoms (except this unusual infection). So Sarah is not cured, but is still happy and functions well, many years longer than she was expected to.

Having the right doctor means:

* You will be more likely to go to the doctor when you are feeling a bit under the weather.
* Your doctor will be able to pick up on earlier symptoms, and diagnose things faster.
* Faster diagnosis means faster recovery. Faster return to work. All those good things.
* You will be more likely to attend for results and follow-up, which is important to look after your long term health.
* When you visit at other times, your doctor will be able to look at all of your health, not just the bit that hurts the most.
* Your doctor will be better at referring you to specialist care (if appropriate) as they will know you better, and be able to pick when you are particularly sick, and what specialist would best suit your personality.
* You will be more confident in the decisions they make.
* You will be more confident in asking questions, and know more abut what is going on, and therefore be more in control.
* You will become more involved in making your own health decisions.
* You will get better preventative care (of diabetes or hypertension, obesity or heart disease for example) because you will attend over a longer period of time.
* Attending more regularly means a better relationship - you will both get along better. More pleasant way to spend the day.

All of this things will make you a better maintained person. You and your body-mechanic need to have a close relationship, and there needs to be trust for one another. Things won't get missed, and if you are sick, it will be a much less traumatic experience.