Clinic
A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a
Most commonly, the English word clinic refers to a
Etymology
The word clinic derives from Ancient Greek κλίνειν klinein meaning to slope, lean or recline. Hence κλίνη klinē is a couch or bed and κλινικός klinikos is a physician who visits his patients in their beds.[1] In Latin, this became clīnicus.[2][3]
An early use of the word clinic was "one who receives baptism on a sick bed".[4]
Overview
Clinics are often associated with a general medical practice run by one or several
Some clinics are operated in-house by employers, government organizations, or hospitals, and some clinical services are outsourced to private corporations which specialize in providing health services. In China, for example, owners of such clinics do not have formal medical education. There were 659,596 village clinics in China in 2011.[5]
Health care in
Function
The function of clinics differs from country to country. For instance, a local general practice run by a single general practitioner provides
Some clinics serve as a place for people with injuries or illnesses to be seen by a
Treatment at these clinics is often less expensive than it would be at a casualty department. Also, unlike an ER these clinics are often not open on a 24/7/365 basis. They sometimes have access to diagnostic equipment such as X-ray machines, especially if the clinic is part of a larger facility. Doctors at such clinics can often refer patients to specialists if the need arises.[6]
Large outpatient clinics
Large outpatient clinics vary in size, but can be as large as hospitals.
Function
Typical large outpatient clinics house general medical practitioners (GPs) such as
Besides GPs, if a clinic is a
Internationally
Large outpatient clinics are a common type of healthcare facility in many countries, including France, Germany (long tradition), Switzerland, and most of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (often using a mixed Soviet-German model), as well as in former Soviet republics such as Russia and Ukraine;[7] and in many countries across Asia and Africa.[8]
In Europe, especially in the Central and Eastern Europe, bigger outpatient health centers, commonly in cities and towns, are called policlinics (derived from the word polis, not from poly-).
Recent[when?] Russian governments have attempted to replace the policlinic model introduced during Soviet times with a more western model. However, this has failed.[9]
In the Czech Republic, many policlinics were privatized or leasehold and decentralized in the post-communist era: some of them are just lessors and coordinators of a healthcare provided by private doctor's offices in the policlinic building.[10]
India has also set up huge numbers of polyclinics for former defense personnel. The network envisages 426 polyclinics in 343 districts of the country which will benefit about 33 lakh (3.3 million) ex-servicemen residing in remote and far-flung areas.[11]
Policlinics are also the backbone of Cuba's primary care system and have been credited with a role in improving that nation's health indicators.[12]
Mobile clinics
Providing health services through mobile clinics provides accessible healthcare services to these remote areas that have yet to make their way in the politicized space. For example, mobile clinics have proved helpful in dealing with new settlement patterns in Costa Rica. Before foreign aid organizations or the state government became involved in healthcare, Costa Rica's people managed their own health maintenance and protection.[13] People relied on various socio-cultural adaptations and remedies to prevent illnesses, such as personal hygiene and settlement patterns.[13] When new settlements that sprang up along the coast became "artificial" communities, and due to lack of traditional home healing practices here, alternative methods such as mobile clinics had to be implemented in these communities for the protection and prevention of diseases.[13]
A study done in rural Namibia revealed the health changes of orphans, vulnerable children and non-vulnerable children (OVC) visiting a mobile clinic where health facilities are far from the remote villages.
Types
There are many different types of clinics providing outpatient services. Such clinics may be public (government-funded) or private medical practices.
- A CLSC are in Quebec; they are a type of free clinic funded by the provincial government; they provide service not covered by Canada's healthcare plan including social workers
- In the United States, a free clinicprovides free or low-cost healthcare for those without insurance.
- A nurse practitioners.
- A general out-patient clinic offers general diagnoses or treatments without an overnight stay.
- A polyclinic or policlinic provides a range of healthcare services (including diagnostics) without need of an overnight stay
- A specialist clinic provides advanced diagnostic or treatment services for specific diseases or parts of the body. This type contrasts with general out-patient clinics.
- A sexually transmitted infections.
- A gender identity clinic provides services relating to transgender health care.
- A fertility clinic aims to help women and couples to become pregnant.
- An abortion clinic is a medical facility providing abortion services to women.
- An ambulatory surgery clinicoffers outpatient or same day surgery services, usually for surgical procedures less complicated than those requiring hospitalization.
- An ultrasound clinic offers medical ultrasound investigations for patients. An ultrasound clinic is normally run privately.
- A
See also
- Healthcare provider
- Health center
- Health systems management
- Healthcare system
- Nurse-led clinic
- Polyclinics in England
- Walk-in clinic
References
- ^ κλινικός in A Greek–English Lexicon. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
- ^ clinicus in A Latin Dictionary. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
- ^ Partridge, Eric. Origins: A short etymological dictionary of modern English. Book Club Associates, 1966.
- Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
- ^ "Statistical Communiqué on the 2011 National Economic and Social Development". stats.gov.cn. National Bureau of Statistics of China. 22 February 2012. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "Clinic search engine tools to find the right Clinic". 123 clinic. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
- ^ NLH – Health Management – Policlinics. Retrieved 3 July 2008.[permanent dead link]
- S2CID 43512994.
- ^ David Rath: Trnitá cesta privatizace českého zdravotnictví, Hospodářské noviny, 10 September 1996
- ^ "199 Additional Polyclinics For Ex-Servicemen". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 26 May 2010.
- ^ Cuba's primary health care revolution: 30 years on, Bulletin of the World Health Organization
- ^ a b c Morgan, Lynn M. (February 1993). "Community Participation in Health: The Politics of Primary Care in Costa Rica". Cambridge Core. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ PMID 24016257.
- ^ PMID 20810820.