How to Find an Infectious Disease Doctor

Infectious disease doctors are internal medicine doctors who treat and diagnose infectious diseases of varying types in the human body. Some diseases that infectious disease doctors deal with include AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, meningitis, tetanus, and various infections of the respiratory system. Infectious disease doctors also aid in the prevention of tropical and other travel-related diseases.

Instructions

• 1

  Consult your primary care physician or internist for a referral to an infectious disease doctor. If your current physician is not able to treat or diagnose your particular infection, it may be suggested that you see an infectious disease doctor.

• 2

  Talk to your family members, friends, and coworkers about your need to find an infectious disease doctor.

• 3

  Browse the website for your health insurance company and see if there are infectious disease doctors listed. You can also call your health insurance company to ask them for recommendations of infectious disease doctors. Ask your insurance company if the infectious disease doctor you select is covered by your insurance plan.

• 4

  Search the Internet for infectious disease doctors in your area. There are many websites on the Internet that allow patients to search for doctors by specialty, including infectious disease specialists. You can search for doctors in your area by city and state or by zip code or even by last name of an infectious disease doctor you are interested in.

• 5

  Contact the American Board of Medical Specialties and the American Board of Internal Medicine to confirm the doctor you choose is board certified. Both of these medical boards have websites and a toll free phone number.

• 6

  Check out websites that have reviews of infectious disease doctors. Either for free or for a nominal fee, some websites allow patients to view and/or add comments and reviews of many types of doctors, including infectious disease doctors.