family practice

practice /prac·tice/ (prak´tis) the use of one's knowledge in a particular profession; the practice of medicine is the exercise of one's knowledge for recognition and treatment of disease.

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family practice  the medical specialty concerned with the planning and provision of the comprehensive primary health care of all members of a family on a continuing basis.

general practice  old term for the provision of comprehensive medical care regardless of age of the patient or presence of a condition that may temporarily require the services of a specialist; the term has largely been replaced by the term family practice.

group practice  see under medicine.

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family practice

n. Abbr. FP

See family medicine.

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family practice

Etymology: L, familia, household; Gk, praktikos, ready for action

a medical specialty that encompasses several branches of medicine, including internal medicine, preventive medicine, pediatrics, surgery, psychiatry, and obstetrics and gynecology. It includes client management, counseling, problem solving, and coordination of total health care delivery to all members of a family, regardless of sex or age.

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family practice,

n medical specia-lization that treats individuals and families by integrating behavioral, biomedical, and clinical sciences and providing comprehensive primary care.

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family practice

Family medicine, family & community medicine A specialty of medical practice in which the physician is involved in most aspects of the health care of a family unit, but is limited in provision of obstetric and surgical services; in the US, board certification in FP requires 4 yrs of residency training. Cf Internal medicine.