The prevention, treatment, and management of illness
and the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services
offered by the medical and allied health professions
Health care embraces all the goods and services designed
to promote health, including “preventive, curative and palliative
interventions, whether directed to individuals or to populations”.
Specialities in medicine
Anesthesia
: The branch of
medicine which deals with anesthesia and anesthetics
Cardiology
: Specializes in
disorders of the Heart and associated structures
Dermatology : Deals with the skin and its appendages (hair,
nails, sweat glands etc).
Endocrinology
: Concerned with the endocrine system (i.e. endocrine glands
and hormones) and its diseases, including diabetes and thyroid diseases.
Gastroenterology : Concerned with the alimentary tract
Nephrology
: Concerned with diseases of the kidneys.
Pulmonology
: Concerned with diseases of the lungs and the respiratory
system.
Neurology : Treating central, peripheral nervous system, and spinal column
diseases
Obstetrics and gynecology : The branches of medicine which
deals with female reproductive organs, pregnancy, and childbirth
Ophthalmology
: Branch of medical practice dealing with the diseases and
surgery of the visual pathways, including the eyes, brain etc.
Pediatrics
: Deals with the medical care of infants, children, and
adolescents (from newborn to age 16-21, depending on the country).
Oncology
: Devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer and
other malignant diseases
Psychiatry : Devoted to the treatment and study of mental
disorder.
Family Medicine
: This provides
continuing, comprehensive health care for the individual and family.
Types of Hospitals
General
The best-known type of hospital is the
general hospital, which is set up to deal with many kinds of disease and
injury.
A general hospital is typically the
major health care facility in its region, with large numbers of beds for
intensive care and long-term care
Specialized
Hospitals for dealing with specific
medical needs, certain disease categories, and so forth
Teaching
A teaching hospital (or university
hospital) combines assistance to patients with teaching to medical students and
is often linked to a medical school.
Clinics
A medical facility smaller than a hospital
is generally called a clinic, Clinics generally provide only outpatient
services.
Kind of
patients
Outpatient
a patient who is not hospitalized
overnight but who visits a hospital, clinic, or associated facility for
diagnosis or treatment
Inpatient
An inpatient on the other
hand is "admitted" to the hospital and stays overnight or for an
indeterminate time, usually several days or weeks.
Health Care Team
Attending Physicians
The attending Physicians examines
patients, monitors daily progress, plans care, and oversees treatment
Residents
Residents are licensed doctors who are
receiving additional specialty training. During their residency program, they
provide care under the supervision of the attending doctor
Physician Assistants
Physician assistants are health
professionals certified to practice medicine with doctor supervision. They make
medical decisions and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic
services.
Nurses
Many types of nurses will help care for
patients. They provide care and treatment and will be a very important part of
your daily experience.
Dietitians
Dietitians help ensure that patient
receive appropriate nutrition to support healing. They are available to explain
special diets if needed..
Pharmacists
Pharmacists prepare and dispense
medications. They work closely with doctors and nurses to monitor drug
therapies and to prevent or correct drug interactions.
Phlebotomists
These staff members draw blood for laboratory tests.
These staff members draw blood for laboratory tests.
Physical Therapists
Physical therapists evaluate the patient’s
developmental and functional skills. They treat physical, developmental, and
neurological problems, and help you learn to use your body through exercise.
Glossary
Chief complaint
Concise
statement describing the symptom, problem, condition. Or other factor that is
the reason for a medical encounter.
History of the present
illness
Refers
to a detailed interview prompted by the chief complaint or presenting symptom
(for example, pain).
Signs versus symptoms
A symptom
is experienced and reported by the patient
A sign is discovered by the physician
during examination
of the patient
Review of systems
A review
of systems is a component of an encounter note covering the organ systems,
with a focus upon the subjective symptoms perceived by the patient.
Physical examination
Is
the process by which a health care provider investigates the body of a patient
for signs of disease.
Diagnosis
Is
the process of identifying a medical condition or disease by its signs,
symptoms, and from the results of various diagnostic procedures.
ICD (International
Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems)
Provides
codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal
findings, complaints, social circumstances, and external causes of injury or
disease
Current Procedural
Terminology (CPT)
The
CPT code set accurately describes medical, surgical, and diagnostic services
and is designed to communicate uniform information about medical services and
procedures among physicians, coders, patients, accreditation organizations, and
payers for administrative, financial, and analytical purposes.
OD
omne in die – Once-daily
BD
bis in die – Twice-daily
TID
ter
in die –
Thrice-daily
Pro re nata
as needed
DAW
Dispense as written
SOAP note
The SOAP note (an acronym for subjective,
objective, assessment, and plan) is a method of
documentation employed by health care providers to write out notes in a
patient's chart
Subjective component
This describes the patient's current
condition in narrative form recorded in the patient's own words.
Objective component
Vital signs
Findings from physical examinations,
such as posture, bruising, and abnormalities
Results from laboratory tests
Measurements, such as age and weight
of the patient.
Assessment
Is a quick summary of the patient with
main symptoms/diagnosis including a differential diagnosis
Plan
This is what the health care provider will
do to treat the patient's concerns. Advised with the patient as well as timings
for further review or follow-up.
OUT PATIENT FLOW IN CLINIC
