Family Physician Approach On College Campus

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - You don't think about it until you have a child in college and even then you probably don't think twice about it until your child gets sick for one reason or another. But, the student health center and physicians who take care of college students can play a vital role dealing with everything from sore throats to broken bones to psychological counseling.

In most cases the approach is similar to an urgent care center where students are seen for problems - almost like urgent care.

But the director of student health at the University of Delaware is trying something very interesting. His approach is to assign doctors to students and suggesting that students stay with the same doctor all four years. It is a family physician approach and it makes a great deal of sense.