An internal medicine physician, also known as an internist, is a medical specialist who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of adult diseases. Internists are doctors who specialize in highly complex health issues and may be consulted other doctors when faced with particularly difficult or perplexing cases. Internists are often referred to as primary care physicians, but they are not to be confused with family physicians or general practitioners, who have very different training and scopes of practice.
Internal medicine became a specialty in late-nineteenth-century Germany. The term internal medicine is a literal translation of the German innere medizin, which originally described the internal medicine physician’s unique ability to combine laboratory scientific principles with day-to-day clinical medicine issues. Internists had access to medical and scientific techniques that general practitioners did not, and they were frequently called upon to consult when a patient required specialized treatment. Physicians who aspired to a higher level of authority than a general practitioner but didn’t want to limit their scope of practice to a single organ or system were the driving force behind the creation of this new field of specialization.
Internal medicine physicians almost exclusively treat adult patients nowadays, with a focus on whole-person and whole-life care. An internist serves as a primary care physician, but unlike a general practitioner, he or she will remain involved in patient care even if the patient is admitted to a hospital, intensive care unit, or nursing home. Internists will perform physical exams, manage illnesses with diet and medication, and keep track of their patients’ health in a clinical setting. Internists tend to focus on general wellness issues such as mental health and substance abuse in addition to diagnosing and treating illnesses.
An internal medicine physician may make rounds at a hospital or serve as a specialist consultant when not working in primary care. Internists are essentially elite generalists who are uniquely qualified to diagnose and treat complex patient issues that fall outside the scope of a general practitioner or family physician. Chronic illnesses or multiple disorders that present at the same time can present a variety of problems that require the attention of an internal medicine physician.
In addition, many internists choose to pursue fellowships in order to specialize in a specific field. Within the field of internal medicine, there are 13 sub-specialties, such as nephrology, cardiology, and pulmonology. While internists do not usually perform surgery, they are frequently involved in the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of patients with conditions that may necessitate surgery. Internal medicine physicians, also known as “doctor’s doctors,” are highly trained professionals who are concerned with all aspects of patient health.