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A day patient (or day-patient) is a patient who is using the full range of services of a hospital or clinic but is not expected to stay the night. The term was originally used by psychiatric hospital services using of this patient type to care for people needing support to make the transition from in-patient to out-patient care. However, the ...
Medical state is a term used to describe a hospital patient's health status, or condition. The term is most commonly used in information given to the news media, and is rarely used as a clinical description by physicians. Two aspects of the patient's state may be reported.
The medically relevant complaints reported by the patient or others familiar with the patient are referred to as symptoms, in contrast with clinical signs, which are ascertained by direct examination on the part of medical personnel. Most health encounters will result in some form of history being taken.
The information contained in the medical record allows health care providers to determine the patient's medical history and provide informed care. The medical record serves as the central repository for planning patient care and documenting communication among patient and health care provider and professionals contributing to the patient's care.
A patient's bill of rights is a list of guarantees for those receiving medical care. It may take the form of a law or a non-binding declaration. Typically a patient's bill of rights guarantees patients information, fair treatment, and autonomy over medical decisions, among other rights.
Providing patients with information is central to patient-centered health care and this has been shown to have some positive effects on health outcomes. [20] Providing patients with access to their health records including medical histories and test results via an electronic health record is a legal right in some parts of the world. [20]
Overdiagnosis is the diagnosis of "disease" that will never cause symptoms or death during a patient's lifetime. [9] It is a problem because it turns people into patients unnecessarily and because it can lead to economic waste [10] (overutilization) and treatments that may cause harm. Overdiagnosis occurs when a disease is diagnosed correctly ...
Acute care is a branch of secondary health care where a patient receives active but short-term treatment for a severe injury or episode of illness, an urgent medical condition, or during recovery from surgery. [1] [2] In medical terms, care for acute health conditions is the opposite from chronic care, or longer-term care.