What is Internal Medicine?

Internal Medicine
Internists
Preventive and Complex Care

Internal Medicine

Internal medicine is devoted to the comprehensive care of adult patients and includes (but is not limited to) diagnosis and treatment of such problems as:

• heart disease and hypertension
• kidney disease
• gastrointestinal problems
• arthritis and other joint problems
• allergies
• cancer
• anemia
• lung problems such as asthma and emphysema
• infections
• neurological problems such as strokes and seizures
• nutritional problems
• depression
• skin disease
• diabetes and thyroid disease

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Internists

Internists are sometimes called primary care physicians. Internists are fully trained specialists in adult medicine, much like pediatricians are specialists in the care of children. The physicians at St. Luke’s Internal Medicine are educated for at least three full years after medical school in the specialty of internal medicine. After this training, they undergo rigorous tests, prepared by the American Board of Internal Medicine, to assess their medical knowledge. After passing these exams, internists are considered “board certified.”

The internist’s training results in very thorough scientific knowledge, and because of this they are considered experts in making diagnoses. If, however, a patient requires care that is beyond the care of the internist, other specialists or subspecialists are called in to assist. St. Luke’s Internal Medicine physicians always remain at the center of our patients’ medical and/or surgical care.

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Complex Care, Preventive Care and Consulting

Internists are specially trained to care for complex medical problems. This means that we care for patients in the office and in the hospital (including coronary and intensive care units and the emergency department), providing a smooth continuum of care. We are prepared to handle severe chronic illnesses and situations where many illnesses occur at the same time. Internists are also capable of performing a variety of technical medical procedures. Severe medical illnesses often require the broad training and skills of internists to coordinate highly trained care teams. As internists, we keep the whole patient in mind, rather than merely focusing on a single disease or organ system.

At regular intervals, dependent on age and health status, we suggest a comprehensive evaluation to check for problems before a patient is aware of any symptoms. This preventive/wellness care helps to prevent disease or illness from developing. If not preventable, we attempt to detect disease as early as possible, hopefully while it is still treatable. When medical problems do surface, we provide diagnosis and treatment. Such preventive services are usually a portion of your initial and any subsequent comprehensive examinations.

The physicians at St. Luke's Internal Medicine also serve as consultants, helping other primary care physicians as well as surgeons and obstetricians to manage difficult medical problems. Internists are often asked to coordinate and direct the overall care of a patient who is initially admitted to the hospital by a subspecialist.

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