Health and Fitness : Primary care or gynecologist? Things to consider-with Rita Taylor-Stewart PA-C

Rita Taylor-Stewart PA-C

“Many women don’t realize we do Pap tests and they think it’s best to schedule those with a gynecologist,” says Rita Taylor-Stewart, PA-C, who practices at Virginia Gay’s Van Horne Family Medical Clinic. “Many assume that the gynecologist is where they should go first for women’s health, but I think there are good reasons to look to your primary care provider for your routine health check-ups.”

“We know our patients well and when we see a patient we’re not focused on one narrow issue.” Rita goes on to say. “We’re not only concerned with urinary tract infections, yeast infections and menstrual disorders, but we’re also concerned about the behavioral health and family dynamics of our patients and how those issues can result in exposure to sexually transmitted diseases or domestic violence.”

Rita’s opinions are backed-up by research from the Kaiser Family Foundation. According to the 2011 Kaiser study, “primary-care physicians were nearly 2 1/2 times as likely as OB/GYNs to address such problems as mental health issues, metabolic conditions and circulatory, respiratory, digestive and skin diseases during a preventive gynecologic visit.”

“There certainly is a need for specialists, but one thing that worries me is that the patient may self-refer to a specialist when that may not be the right choice,” according to Rita. “As your primary care provider I’ll make sure you’re going to the best and right type of specialist. A patient may actually need a physical therapist for pelvic floor rehabilitation, for example. We can get you to the right person, a person we know and trust, more quickly and less expensively than if your first stop is a specialist.”

A long-term relationship with your primary care provider may also be the very best weapon in achieving better overall health. Multiple visits over time mean your primary care provider is the one most likely to recognize early signs of issues and counsel you about tests or treatments based on your unique history.

Rita says the bottom line comes down to treatment of the whole person, over the person’s entire lifetime. “We’re well trained to provide for women’s health as well as early childhood checkups. We may be the only health providers who know that this child’s new grandparents need to be vaccinated for whooping cough, for example, and that’s because we know the parent, the child and often the extended family.”

All of Virginia Gay’s clinics offer women’s services and early childhood care. To find your local primary care provider visit www.myvgh.org