Individuals referred to for expert or professional advice or services.

Professional medical personnel approved to provide care to patients in a hospital.

The practice of sending a patient to another program or practitioner for services or advice which the referring source is not prepared to provide.

An occupation limited in scope to a subsection of a broader field.

Educational programs for medical graduates entering a specialty. They include formal specialty training as well as academic work in the clinical and basic medical sciences, and may lead to board certification or an advanced medical degree.

A system of medical care regulated, controlled and financed by the government, in which the government assumes responsibility for the health needs of the population.

The art and science of studying, performing research on, preventing, diagnosing, and treating disease, as well as the maintenance of health.

Attitudes of personnel toward their patients, other professionals, toward the medical care system, etc.

A surgical specialty which utilizes medical, surgical, and physical methods to treat and correct deformities, diseases, and injuries to the skeletal system, its articulations, and associated structures.

The use of one's knowledge in a particular profession. It includes, in the case of the field of biomedicine, professional activities related to health care and the actual performance of the duties related to the provision of health care.

The capability to perform acceptably those duties directly related to patient care.

Various branches of surgical practice limited to specialized areas.

A detailed review and evaluation of selected clinical records by qualified professional personnel for evaluating quality of medical care.

A specialty in which manual or operative procedures are used in the treatment of disease, injuries, or deformities.

The reciprocal interaction of two or more professional individuals.

The branch of medicine concerned with the evaluation and initial treatment of urgent and emergent medical problems, such as those caused by accidents, trauma, sudden illness, poisoning, or disasters. Emergency medical care can be provided at the hospital or at sites outside the medical facility.

A surgical specialty concerned with the structure and function of the eye and the medical and surgical treatment of its defects and diseases.

Organized services in a hospital which provide medical care on an outpatient basis.

The total amount of work to be performed by an individual, a department, or other group of workers in a period of time.

A subspecialty of internal medicine concerned with the study of inflammatory or degenerative processes and metabolic derangement of connective tissue structures which pertain to a variety of musculoskeletal disorders, such as arthritis.

Major administrative divisions of the hospital.

Predetermined sets of questions used to collect data - clinical data, social status, occupational group, etc. The term is often applied to a self-completed survey instrument.

The study of religion and religious belief, or a particular system or school of religious beliefs and teachings (from online Cambridge Dictionary of American English, 2000 and WordNet: An Electronic Lexical Database, 1997)

Services provided by an individual ethicist (ETHICISTS) or an ethics team or committee (ETHICS COMMITTEES, CLINICAL) to address the ethical issues involved in a specific clinical case. The central purpose is to improve the process and outcomes of patients' care by helping to identify, analyze, and resolve ethical problems.

Government-controlled hospitals which represent the major health facility for a designated geographic area.

Communication between persons or between institutions or organizations by an exchange of letters. Its use in indexing and cataloging will generally figure in historical and biographical material.

Registered nurses who hold Master's degrees in nursing with an emphasis in clinical nursing and who function independently in coordinating plans for patient care.

Large hospitals with a resident medical staff which provides continuous care to maternity, surgical and medical patients.

Patterns of practice related to diagnosis and treatment as especially influenced by cost of the service requested and provided.

Persons trained in philosophical or theological ethics who work in clinical, research, public policy, or other settings where they bring their expertise to bear on the analysis of ethical dilemmas in policies or cases. (Bioethics Thesaurus)

Hospital department which administers all departmental functions and the provision of surgical diagnostic and therapeutic services.

The study of microorganisms such as fungi, bacteria, algae, archaea, and viruses.

A surgical specialty concerned with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases of the urinary tract in both sexes, and the genital tract in the male. Common urological problems include urinary obstruction, URINARY INCONTINENCE, infections, and UROGENITAL NEOPLASMS.

The selection, appointing, and scheduling of personnel.

Consultation via remote telecommunications, generally for the purpose of diagnosis or treatment of a patient at a site remote from the patient or primary physician.

A medical specialty concerned with the provision of continuing, comprehensive primary health care for the entire family.

Educational programs designed to inform physicians of recent advances in their field.

A specialty concerned with the study of anesthetics and anesthesia.

A process whereby representatives of a particular interest group attempt to influence governmental decision makers to accept the policy desires of the lobbying organization.

Control, direction and financing of the total dental care of the population by a national government.

Hospital department responsible for the administration and management of services provided for obstetric and gynecologic patients.

Violation of laws, regulations, or professional standards.

A dental specialty concerned with the prevention and correction of dental and oral anomalies (malocclusion).

Special hospitals which provide care to women during pregnancy and parturition.

The medical specialty which deals with WOUNDS and INJURIES as well as resulting disability and disorders from physical traumas.

The professional practice of primary eye and vision care that includes the measurement of visual refractive power and the correction of visual defects with lenses or glasses.

The expected function of a member of the medical profession.

The medical science that deals with the origin, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders.

Includes relationships between hospitals, their governing boards, and administrators in regard to physicians, whether or not the physicians are members of the medical staff or have medical staff privileges.

Hospitals which provide care for a single category of illness with facilities and staff directed toward a specific service.

Statistical measures of utilization and other aspects of the provision of health care services including hospitalization and ambulatory care.

A subspecialty of internal medicine concerned with the study of the physiology and diseases of the digestive system and related structures (esophagus, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas).

Individuals licensed to practice medicine.

Hospital department responsible for the administration and provision of immediate medical or surgical care to the emergency patient.

The prevailing temper or spirit of an individual or group in relation to the tasks or functions which are expected.

The upward or downward mobility in an occupation or the change from one occupation to another.

The educational process of instructing.

Those physicians who have completed the education requirements specified by the American Academy of Family Physicians.

A dental specialty concerned with the diagnosis and surgical treatment of disease, injuries, and defects of the human oral and maxillofacial region.

The observation and analysis of movements in a task with an emphasis on the amount of time required to perform the task.

Statement of the position requirements, qualifications for the position, wage range, and any special conditions expected of the employee.

A medical specialty concerned with maintaining health and providing medical care to children from birth to adolescence.

A medical specialty concerned with the study of the structures, functions, and diseases of the nervous system.

A surgical specialty concerned with the study and treatment of disorders of the ear, nose, and throat.

The identification, analysis, and resolution of moral problems that arise in the care of patients. (Bioethics Thesaurus)

Transmission and interpretation of tissue specimens via remote telecommunication, generally for the purpose of diagnosis or consultation but may also be used for continuing education.

Physicians or other qualified individuals responsible for implementing and overseeing the policies and procedures followed by a health care facility to reduce the risk of infection to patients and staff.

A medical-surgical specialty concerned with management and care of women during pregnancy, parturition, and the puerperium.

Prospective patient listings for appointments or treatments.

The concurrent or retrospective review by practicing physicians or other health professionals of the quality and efficiency of patient care practices or services ordered or performed by other physicians or other health professionals (From The Facts On File Dictionary of Health Care Management, 1988).

Hospitals engaged in educational and research programs, as well as providing medical care to the patients.

A medical-surgical specialty concerned with the physiology and disorders primarily of the female genital tract, as well as female endocrinology and reproductive physiology.

A subspecialty of psychiatry concerned with the mental health of the aged.

Situations or conditions requiring immediate intervention to avoid serious adverse results.

A subspecialty of pathology applied to the solution of clinical problems, especially the use of laboratory methods in clinical diagnosis. (Dorland, 28th ed.)

A medical specialty concerned with the skin, its structure, functions, diseases, and treatment.

Agreements between two or more parties, especially those that are written and enforceable by law (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed). It is sometimes used to characterize the nature of the professional-patient relationship.

Hospital department responsible for the administration of functions and activities pertaining to the delivery of anesthetics.

Operations carried out for the correction of deformities and defects, repair of injuries, and diagnosis and cure of certain diseases. (Taber, 18th ed.)

The science or philosophy of law. Also, the application of the principles of law and justice to health and medicine.

A detailed review and evaluation of selected clinical records by qualified professional personnel for evaluating quality of dental care.

Practice of a health profession by an individual, offering services on a person-to-person basis, as opposed to group or partnership practice.

Health care provided to individuals.

The capability to perform the duties of one's profession generally, or to perform a particular professional task, with skill of an acceptable quality.

The different methods of scheduling patient visits, appointment systems, individual or group appointments, waiting times, waiting lists for hospitals, walk-in clinics, etc.

The recognition of professional or technical competence through registration, certification, licensure, admission to association membership, the award of a diploma or degree, etc.

The branch of medicine concerned with the physiological and pathological aspects of the aged, including the clinical problems of senescence and senility.

The assessment of the functioning of an employee in relation to work.

Hospital department responsible for the administration and provision of diagnostic and therapeutic services for the urologic patient.

Professional nurses who have received postgraduate training in midwifery.

Directions or principles presenting current or future rules of policy for assisting health care practitioners in patient care decisions regarding diagnosis, therapy, or related clinical circumstances. The guidelines may be developed by government agencies at any level, institutions, professional societies, governing boards, or by the convening of expert panels. The guidelines form a basis for the evaluation of all aspects of health care and delivery.