Since the beginning of the pandemic, many people have abandoned routine visits to their attending physician and have not yet returned. Many months have passed! This is a long time to be out of contact with the doctor. Is there an ideal interval between medical appointments? If there is no other indication, adults – women or men – should have an annual consultation with their general and family medicine physician. It is this regular monitoring that contributes to the continuity of health care : Know the habits, personal and family health history and advise on specific needs throughout different life phases; Advise on health promotion and disease prevention, so a long and healthy life is possible; Timely identify physical or psychological health needs; Prescribe the necessary medical tests and coordinate the necessary liaison with other specialties for screening and early diagnosis of various diseases. Taking the initiative to maintain routine medical follow-up, perform the recommended medical exams and screenings and adopt the recommended healthy lifestyle habits should be a task like any other in our daily life: It will keep us more protected from health problems; It is the best investment , as it prevents avoidable health costs, either individually or for society. Get back in contact with your doctor Even if after your last medical appointment, you did not have the opportunity to perform the medical tests requested at the time, schedule a new appointment . Your doctor will know where to start and will give you directions on what to do. If you have moved away from your doctor, there is no excuse either It is time to think about a new attending physician or to take advantage of new technologies; Find out if your attending physician performs videoconsultations and get advice on the best way to resume your follow-up. And the health of the rest of the family? Do you have children and young people under your responsibility? Remember the regular surveillance by the pediatrician . We hear about COVID-19 vaccination every day. And the rest of the vaccines from the national vaccination program or other vaccines recommended, are they up to date? And the annual visit to the gynecologist for women, whether of childbearing age or after menopause , when was the last time? So much to talk about with your attending physician... Do not delay any longer, book your appointment, protect your health, the health of your family and that of all of us. Author: Daniel Beirão Meet the General and Family Medicine team from Hospital da Luz network. The content published in the Health Guide is intended for the general public and is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not replace individual medical assessment, diagnosis, or personalized clinical advice from a qualified healthcare professional. The content is produced or reviewed by physicians and other healthcare professionals at Hospital da Luz and is based on the knowledge available at the time of publication or the most recent update, as indicated at the beginning of each item.
