Generalist medical practitioners

Generalist medical practitioners diagnose, treat and prevent illness, disease, injury, and other physical and mental impairments and maintain general health in humans through application of the principles and procedures of modern medicine. They do not limit their practice to certain disease categories or methods of treatment, and may assume responsibility for the provision of continuing and comprehensive medical care to individuals, families and communities.

Duties and tasks

• Conducting physical examinations of patients and interviewing them and their families to determine their health status
• Ordering laboratory tests, X-rays and other diagnostic procedures and analysing findings to determine the nature of disorders or illnesses
• Providing continuing medical care for patients including prescribing, administering, counselling on and monitoring curative treatments and preventive measures
• Performing surgery and other clinical procedures
• Advising individuals, families and communities on health, nutrition and lifestyle which aid prevention or treatment of disease and disorders
• Providing referrals to patients and families for specialized care in hospitals, rehabilitation centres or other types of health care centres
• Identifying, managing and providing referrals for complications before, during and after childbirth
• Recording patients' medical information and history and exchanging information with specialist practitioners and other health workers as required for continuing medical care
• Reporting births, deaths and notifiable diseases to government authorities to meet legal and professional requirements
• Conducting research in human health and medical services and disseminating the findings such as through scientific reports
• Planning and participating in programs designed to prevent the occurrence and spread of common diseases