How does the role of GP doctor differ from that of a hospital doctor?
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The GP is responsible for looking after the general health of their patients and for treating common ailments that do not require specialized diagnosis, equipment, drugs, surgery or other treatment.
When a patient comes to them with conditions that require more specialized care they refer the patient to an appropriate specialist with niche training and experience for the specific issue.
In a hospital setting the ER doctors are somewhat analogous to a GP in that they see a wide range of conditions across the spectrum of medical conditions, albeit with a focus on acute injury and/or developments in diseases. Their job is to stabilize, treat the acute condition if possible and refer to a specialist for follow up care.
In systems like the NHS (UK) and HMO insurance (US) they also serve as gatekeepers to in-demand and expensive specialist care so that specialist resources aren’t taken up by someone who doesn’t actually need them.
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