With continuity of care, a trusting, long-term relationship develops between the physician and patient. If the patient does not trust the physician, the chances for effective care are minimised. Continuity is probably the most important principle of family medicine. In family medicine the continuum of care is the patient, the episodes is the disease. For other specialties, the continuum is the disease and the episode is the patient.
Family physicians are committed to providing care to patients and their families over time.
Family physicians use time as a diagnostic and theurapeutic tool and are committed to contracting with patients for long-term care. The physician who practices continuity recognises and accepts as a commitment to the patient's future. The family physician must be trained comprehensively to acquire all the medical skills necessry to care for the majority of patient's problems. A truly comprehensive family physician adequately manages acute infections, biopsies skin and other lesions, repairs lacerations, treats musculoskeletal sprains and minor fractures, removes foreign bodies, treats vaginitis, provides obstetric care, gives psychotherapy and so on. A family physician requires knowledge and skills of varying degrees in each specialty area.