General physicians are consultants who care for patients with special or difficult problems. General physicians only see patients who are referred to them by other doctors, usually by the patient’s own general practitioner. Whether the referral identifies one health problem or many, the general physician’s assessment is always comprehensive. This global approach enables problems to be detected and diagnostic possibilities to be considered which might otherwise be missed. General physicians are especially trained to care for patients with complex illnesses, in which the diagnosis may be difficult. The general physician’s broad training provides expertise in diagnosis and treatment of problems affecting different body systems in a patient. They are also trained to deal with social and psychological impact of disease.
