What is the role of the general internist in the patients healthcare team?
The provision of high-quality patient care usually requires the cooperation of practitioners of many different disciplines, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, respiratory therapists and other important members of the healthcare team. The primary care physician, often a general internist, is the physician who sees a patient through all phases of his or her care and who coordinates the efforts of other professionals to provide all facets of the patient’s care, including disease prevention, diagnosis, acute and chronic treatment and rehabilitation.
