a family doctor, otherwise known as general practitioner, is trained to provide medical service to people of all ages, demographics, and walks of life. their training is diverse to deal with a variety of conditions including all non surgical specialties. they also follow the patient from birth to death and are trained to treat an individual as a whole, in the context of their social setting and also their family situation and mental health. unlike specialists who mainly deal with problems of one organ or system, family doctors deal with all parts of the body and synthesize this information for the patient's general health. they provide a global perspective of the person's health in the patient's unique life situation. they are an individual's regular doctor who knows the patient in their social and family context. they can refer to specialists for issues that require more detailed or specialized treatments unavailable to them as an outpatient or beyond their expertise.