Internal Medicine
The diagnosis, management and treatment of diseases
Internists, or Doctors of Internal Medicine treat adults. Internal medicine is the medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis, management and non-surgical treatment of unusual or serious diseases.
In North America, specialists in internal medicine are commonly called, "internists".
Because their patients are often seriously ill or require complex investigations, internists do much of their work in hospitals. Formerly, many internists were not sub-specialized and would see any complex non-surgical problem; this style of practice has become much less common.
Many internists are sub-specialists, meaning that they generally limit their medical practice to problems of one organ system or to one particular area of medical knowledge.
Internists have a lengthy clinical and scientific training in their areas of medical interest and have special expertise in the use of prescription drugs or other medical therapies (as opposed to surgery). While the name "internal medicine" may suggest that internists only treat problems of internal organs, this is not the case. Internists are trained to treat patients as whole people, not as mere organ systems.
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