Personalized Medicine From the Perspective of Rural Family Physician

Background and Objectives: Paying attention to future changes and preparing for them is one of the requirements of today's world. Personalized medicine as an emerging and expanding change will bring about changes in medical science. Family physicians as the first line of service delivery and health insurance as factors affecting the provision of services will face this issue. The aim of this study was to draw the space for applying this approach in the field of family physicians and the changes it will bring. Methods: This study has three stages: preparing a presentation file about personalized medicine and formulating questions, holding a meeting with family physicians, completing the questions form as a group, presenting their opinions, and finally, analyzing and summarizing the views of the doctors by the research team. Results: Implementing personalized medicine will positively affect each of the family physician's functions, including health management, comprehensiveness of services, continuity of service delivery, coordination, and research. However, like any new change in any field, implementing this approach in this part of the health system will be challenging. There are solutions to face these changes and the resulting challenges from the point of view of family doctors. Conclusion: As one of the essential parts of facing the changes in the health field, family physicians and health insurance should monitor the issues of this field prospectively and prepare themselves to face them. Providing infrastructures according to possible challenges and considering the principles of change management can be a solution for effectively implementing this approach in this field.