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Do You Remember House Calls from Doctors?
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Do You Remember House Calls from Doctors?
I was fortunate to grow up in a time when family doctors worked in small private practices. They made home visits. They knew your family beyond your medical history. They were sounding boards for teenage worries, marital struggles, and life’s everyday challenges. Sometimes you visited simply to talk.
They certainly weren’t perfect. But they knew you. You felt heard. You felt valued.
As this new IMA article points out, when doctors entered a patient’s home, they saw far more than symptoms. They saw whether there was enough food, whether the house was warm, whether loneliness, grief, poverty, or exhaustion might be contributing to illness. They treated people within the context of their lives, not just their diseases.
We all know the difference between being cared for and being processed. That is true in medicine, but it is also true in almost every service we receive in life.
When we look back at what worked in the not-so-distant past, one lesson stands out: the power of presence. The house call was not just about convenience. It was about knowing the whole person.
If we cannot fully bring back house calls, especially in remote areas, how do we use that knowledge to build something with the same human depth today?
Full article in the comments.
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8 Replies
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Returning to the roots of American medicine does not mean returning to bloodletting, mercury, or medical guesswork. It does not mean rejecting antibiotics, surgery, diagnostics, emergency medicine, anesthesia, or the extraordinary advances that have saved millions of lives.
It means remembering that science without relationship is incomplete, and never truly “settled.” Technology without trust is insufficient. Protocols without judgment are dangerous. Systems without humanity are not healing systems at all.
The home was the first clinic. The family was the first care team. The community was the first health network. The physician, when called, entered the patient’s life as a guest, witness, and steward.
As America looks toward its next 250 years, medicine should not simply ask what more it can do. It should ask what it must restore.
Full article here: https://imahealth.org/the-home-was-the-first-clinic-american-medicine-before-the-system/
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I remember the doctors coming with my dad although they did not have the equipment or training of today. They were truly interested in treating people. Today is definitely different. COVID proved that.
I live Rural area about a hour from a city with one hospital and a staff that’s recruited out of high school and college. Doctors there are on their own for the first time. They have an excellent breast cancer center for women and nothing else. I wouldn’t go to one of those doctors as they are arrogant, don’t listen and that irritates me. I go for my annual checkup at the doctor that’s 4 1/2 hours from me. Why? Because she listens to me and she gives me the medications that meet the conditions and I treat myself for the rest of the year. I’ve been doing this for probably no less than 15 or 20 years.
I annually see a doctor and then I treat myself. I don’t trust the doctors pushing their prescriptions, but I do believe in making sure Iam on the right track. Interestingly, all the medical literature suggests that one remain active either through walking or weightlifting or some other form of exercise is the key to keeping your system healthy. Do this daily. In today’s world, you are responsible for your own health. Expecting to go to a doctor nowadays and get treated properly. It’s not gonna happen. These doctors are trained to push pills for Big Pharma.
Understanding that you need to do your own research know your own body and find a functional medicine doctor that you can work with to continue a long, healthy life. Healthy living is through eating fresh foods, exercise, and taking care of yourself. A doctor cannot know you in that 5 Minute visit at the doctor’s office.
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This reply was modified 2 days, 4 hours ago by cattlerancher.
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My dad’s wife turns 90 this year, if you ask her why she is still so healthy, her answer is she never goes near a doctor. 😊 But I agree, its about taking charge of your own health even when you have a great doctor, its better to know you are informed about your health choices.
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@cattlerancher your points are so well made. I think these are watershed times.
The amazing doctors who are showing how much they actually care are clearly differentiating themselves by their actions, and (speaking personally i.e. not the IMA’s postiion) they all remind me of beacons of hope.
This cartoon by Bob Moran, is how I see all these incredible clinicians and healthcare providers.
As you note, when you find a doctor/healthcare professional who listens, and cares and offers you their time, it’s well worth the driving those exceptionally worthwhile extra miles.
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This reply was modified 1 day, 9 hours ago by IMA-GregT.
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This reply was modified 1 day, 9 hours ago by IMA-GregT.
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This reply was modified 1 day, 8 hours ago by IMA-GregT.
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This reply was modified 1 day, 8 hours ago by IMA-GregT.
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This reply was modified 1 day, 8 hours ago by IMA-GregT.
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This reply was modified 1 day, 8 hours ago by IMA-GregT.
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This reply was modified 1 day, 8 hours ago by IMA-GregT.
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There are still a few of us out here doing “house calls” as part of direct-patient-care model practices, the new name for “old time medicine” where the patients were friends and like part of the family. I think the number is slowly increasing, but today’s physicians are not trained as such, and that change may be a long way from acceptance/the norm.
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Just wonderful that we have doctors like you. I remember in parts of the world finding people that wanted to be family GP’s was a struggle, I certainly hope that has changed and that some doctors coming through see the real value they can add to a community.
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NEW VIDEO : As America approaches 250 years, Dr. Joseph Varon reflects on the roots of American medicine and makes a powerful call to restore trust, honesty, informed consent, and the doctor-patient relationship.
Watch Here: https://imahealth.org/medicine-at-250-years-why-the-next-era-must-restore-trust/
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