Family Practice
Family
Practice is the main provider of primary health care within the Region.
Patients can access care in a family doctor's private office, or in a
health centre or clinic in their community. The aim of Family Practice
is to keep patients healthy and out of hospital. However, sometimes
people need to be admitted to a hospital.
In
the hospital, Family Practice provides general medical care to patients
aged 17 and older. These patients require treatment of an acute or
chronic illness. Common reasons for admission to hospital include
stomach problems, chronic bronchitis and other long diseases, heart
failure, pneumonia, stroke, and diabetes. Each year the Family Practice
team cares for over 6000 inpatients.
Family
Practice patients are treated in all hospitals in the region. In some
facilities entire units are dedicated to Family Practice, and in other
facilities Family Practice patients are treated on multidisciplinary units.
During
a hospital stay, patients are cared for by one of the 123 family
doctors who have hospital admitting privileges within the Region. In
most cases patients are treated by their own family doctor.
Family Practice has developed many programs and strategies to help improve the care of our patients, including:
- An inpatient Immunization Program for Flu and Pneumonia
- A Stroke Clinical Pathway
- Pneumonia treatment guidelines
- A Palliative Care Unit at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital,
and a Palliative Care Service at the Oromocto Public Hospital
- A Diabetes Clinic at the Oromocto Public Hospital
For
more information, please contact:
Marianne.Carr@rvh.nb.ca
OR
Dean.Cummings@rvh.nb.ca