UConn Health Information Officer, Lauren Woods, sat down with Dr. Montgomery Douglas, the new chair of the Department of Family Medicine at UConn Health and chair of the family medicine service at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, to discuss the rebirth of the practice of family medicine in the U.S. and this new clinical area of growth at UConn Health. Also, watch a new video spotlighting Douglas and the family medicine practice at UConn Health.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjTYvXZoXKY

What exactly is family medicine?
Family medicine doctors focus on you the patient and your overall health. Family medicine specialists have to complete a rigorous three-year residency after medical school to prepare them for taking care of each individual and family members of all ages. The more than 100,000 family medicine practitioners are one of the biggest providers of primary care in the U.S. We deliver care from newborns to geriatric patients. We even care for women during pre-conception, during their pregnancy and we deliver their babies. There is a very wide spectrum, which makes practicing in this field very exciting. Family medicine doctors, also known as family physicians, can take care of anyone and everyone: in short, everyone needs a family doctor.

How did the rebirth of family medicine happen?
Today’s practice of family medicine is the modern version of the old-fashioned family doctor who was a general practitioner to the entire family and community. After World War II in the 1940s and 1950s medicine entered the age of specialization, with doctors choosing to practice many different medical specialties, not just general practice. However, during the 1960s, people started asking “but who is actually taking care of the overall person?  And what about their family?” Hence, since 1969 there has been a rebirth of the family physician, and the specialty of family medicine.

Why is family medicine so important?
Family medicine provides a way to ensure ‘a usual source of care’ for you and your family so you remain healthy and have less adverse future healthcare outcomes. Family physicians are the first point of contact for each patient. Research shows that having a usual source of care allows for better overall health, less hospitalization, and also lower healthcare costs.  Since the enactment of health reform in 2010, our country has been shifting to stress the importance of usual care for all our citizens. But for the push for usual care for all Americans to work, it needs modernization. The growing trend to meet this need is for each person to be part of a patient-centered medical home with a doctor such as a family physician taking ultimate responsibility for helping patients maintain their overall health with the assistance of more technology such as electronic medical records, and a healthcare team.

When it comes to maintaining your health what should really be top of mind?
Staying healthy in our modern world is a lot harder than it used to be since there are so many more distractions, “noise”, opportunity for unhealthful choices and stressors. You must be prudent and committed to your health. First, each person needs to take personal responsibility for their health. We should accept no excuses from ourselves. Also, health is not just the treatment of a disease when it surfaces but also daily prevention and maintenance of your overall well-being. You need to eat right. Avoid obesity at all costs by maintaining a healthy weight, limit your alcohol use, eat a well-balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, reduce your salt and sugar intake – and also encourage your family to do so as well. It is important to always have healthy food choices in the home. In most cases, you need to exercise at least five days a week no matter what or what condition you may have. Plus, you must see your doctor regularly, get adequate sleep and work hard to manage your daily stress. If you do all of this, you will be less sick in general — but remember you will still need to visit your doctor for your usual source of healthcare annually, and more often if you have specific conditions. At the end of the day, it is relatively simple to remain healthy if we can stay committed to get it done daily.

How vital is the family medicine physician-patient relationship for disease prevention and overall health?
It’s very helpful. A family physician is someone to confide in and advise you how to approach your health. With so many changes in the health insurance arena, it is hard for doctors to spend ample time with a patient and nurture the relationship. In family medicine, doctors get a lot of extra training in patient relationship care – that’s why we are often called personal physicians. In the practice of family medicine, there are four “C’s” that are key to our approach to individual and family personalized healthcare: a family medicine doctor as your first point of contact, comprehensive care, continuity of care, and coordination of care.

Dr. Douglas what drives you in your daily work?
Really making a difference in a patient’s overall health and clinical outcomes drives me, along with the great promise of family medicine for our nation. I feel like the time for family medicine has come and we will make a difference for a lot of people. The cost of healthcare is increasing and rising out of control. The growing costs are negatively impacting our country and daily lives, with the overall quality of care nowhere near where it really should be. Family medicine doctors can make a difference as the first point of contact for our patients, and I look forward to bringing that to more patients clinically at UConn Health and in my additional role at St. Francis Medical Center through the training of future family physicians.

Where did you grow up and how did you decide to become a family medicine doctor?
I grew up in the Caribbean on the English-speaking island of Dominica, and migrated to the U.S. in 1979. During my childhood I knew I wanted to live my life in service of people through some type of ministry. By age 19 I realized that ministry was true healing and that I wanted to serve as a doctor. I was inspired by my sister who was a nurse. I come from a very large family with 16 siblings. Certainly the role of family in the development of myself and my future profession in family medicine must have played a role along the way. I actually started my education at the University of Hartford. Coming back here to Connecticut was a natural choice, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity at UConn Health.

What is your hope for the Department of Family Medicine at UConn Health, and also your work in Hartford at St. Francis?
My biggest hope is for the clinical practice of family medicine to be positively introduced here at UConn Health. The Department was already here, and known for its excellence in medical education of students and training of residents. My plan is to build upon this footprint and start to grow it clinically. I hope family medicine blossoms across UConn Health and we produce more family physicians to help improve our state and country’s health. St. Francis is very big on population health. I will leverage that strength and if successful, expand family medicine more into Hartford.

How can interested patients make an appointment with you and your team?
I now see patients in the Outpatient Pavilion at UConn Health, and this summer a few more family physicians will join me. Family medicine appointments at UConn Health can be made by calling: 1-84-Get-UConn. Also, I oversee the medical care provided by UConn Health’s 21 medical residents in family medicine at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center and at the Family Medicine Center at Asylum Hill in Hartford.