médico de atención primaria
/mediko de atenθjon pɾimaɾja/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'primary care physician' is translated into Spanish as médico de atención primaria.
This term refers to a doctor who provides basic healthcare and serves as the first point of contact for a patient. In many Spanish-speaking healthcare contexts, médico de familia is often used interchangeably with médico de atención primaria.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase médico de atención primaria is composed of médico (physician), de (of), atención (attention/care) and primaria (primary).
Which one should you use?
While médico de atención primaria is a standard term, you may also use médico general to refer to a primary care physician. For a more common way to refer to a regular family doctor or GP, you can use médico de cabecera.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the physician is female, the masculine médico changes to the feminine médica, resulting in médica de atención primaria.
Did you know?
- In Spain, the médico de familia is often the only professional authorized to issue a baja, which is the official medical leave document required by employers.
- The word atención comes from the Latin attentiōnem, which is derived from tendō, meaning 'to stretch'. It suggests the act of stretching one's mind toward another person.
- In some Latin American countries, the médico general is a distinct professional level of training, whereas in other regions, it is simply a synonym for a primary care provider.
Examples in context
- Necesito agendar una cita con mi médico de atención primaria.I need to schedule an appointment with my primary care physician.
- Necesito encontrar un médico de atención primaria.I need to find a primary care physician.
- Mi médico de atención primaria es muy amable.My primary care physician is very kind.
- El médico de atención primaria te dará una receta.The primary care physician will give you a prescription.
Example conversation
Sofía is asking Daniel about his healthcare in a cafe.
- Daniel¿Tienes ya un médico de atención primaria?Do you already have a primary care physician?
- SofíaSí, Daniel, ya tengo uno asignado.Yes, Daniel, I already have one assigned.
- DanielQué bueno, es importante tener un médico de confianza.That's good, it is important to have a trusted doctor.
- SofíaExacto, él me ayuda con todo.Exactly, he helps me with everything.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries atención, de, médico, CC BY-SA 4.0.
