Medical care
Medical care
Medical care (pronunciation: /ˈmɛdɪkəl kɛər/) is the provision of services by healthcare professionals to patients for the purpose of promoting, maintaining, or restoring health.
Etymology
The term "medical" originates from the Latin medicus, meaning "physician", while "care" comes from the Old English caru, meaning "sorrow, anxiety, grief", which later evolved to mean "charge, oversight, attention or heed with the purpose of doing well".
Definition
Medical care encompasses a wide range of healthcare services provided by trained healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and therapists. These services can include diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases, illnesses, injuries, and other physical and mental impairments.
Types of Medical Care
Medical care can be divided into several types, including:
- Primary care: This is the first point of contact for patients and involves general healthcare provided by general practitioners, family physicians, internists, and pediatricians.
- Secondary care: This involves specialized healthcare provided by medical specialists and other health professionals who do not have first contact with patients, such as cardiologists, urologists, and dermatologists.
- Tertiary care: This involves highly specialized healthcare provided at hospitals or specialized care centers, such as neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, and plastic surgery.
- Quaternary care: This involves highly specialized and uncommon procedures and treatments, such as experimental medicine and procedures.
Related Terms
- Healthcare system: The organization of people, institutions, and resources to deliver healthcare services to meet the health needs of target populations.
- Public health: The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals.
- Healthcare provider: An individual or an institution that provides preventive, curative, promotional, or rehabilitative health care services in a systematic way to individuals, families, or communities.
- Patient: A person who is receiving medical care, or who is cared for by a particular doctor or other medical professional.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Medical care
- Wikipedia's article - Medical care
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