The Importance of Primary Care
Even the healthiest adults can sometimes need a little boost to improve their health. When you need a checkup, aren’t feeling well, or have an injury, you can feel better and prevent future medical problems by accessing primary care.
Board-certified internal medicine physician Thomas Nguyen, MD and our team at Boynton Beach, Florida’s Nguyen Medical Group, advocate for all adults, whether healthy, ill, or diagnosed with chronic conditions, to regularly access primary care. Discover why primary care is such an important part of taking care of your health.
Understanding primary care
For most non-emergency health problems, as well as preventive health care, primary care is your first stop. Primary care focuses on your overall wellness, from head to toe.
During a primary care exam, our skilled practitioners can diagnose and treat any symptoms or health concerns you have. They also monitor your overall health, performing testing to make sure you’re healthy, and they can catch any potential health problems early.
Primary care is also an ideal time to receive counseling regarding any lifestyle or health goals you have and to ask questions about your health.
Why is getting primary care so important?
There are a number of reasons getting regular primary care is one of the best steps you can take for your health. These include:
Getting prompt medical treatment
Most acute and chronic medical conditions are treatable or manageable in a primary care setting. By seeking out primary care, you can get issues dealt with quickly, without long waits to see specialists as you risk the condition getting worse.
If you do need to see a specialist, our team can quickly give you a suitable referral and work with the specialist to manage your treatment.
Catching medical issues early or before they develop
At your regular primary care appointments, our team monitors your health and orders suitable tests and health screenings. For example, we monitor your cholesterol levels and blood pressure and ensure you get appropriate screenings for colorectal, breast, or prostate cancers.
These screenings allow us to catch conditions before they develop or treat them before they cause a more serious health concern.
Keeping your healthy lifestyle on track
At your primary care appointments, our team helps you stay on track with your wellness goals. This includes ensuring your vitals are strong, you’re getting enough exercise, and eating a healthy diet, while helping you develop or meet customized wellness objectives.
How frequently should I access primary care?
If you’re a healthy adult, our team recommends you attend an annual wellness exam every year. This allows us to check in with your health and ensure you’re not at risk of developing any medical conditions.
When you have concerns about your health or aren’t feeling well, you can always make additional appointments with our clinicians. Additionally, if you have a chronic medical condition, our team might recommend a customized primary schedule to monitor your health.
If you haven’t had a primary care appointment in at least a year or have health concerns, there’s no time like the present to check on your health. Make your primary care appointment at Nguyen Medical Group online or over the phone.