Healthcare
Introduction
Healthcare, also known as medical care or health services, refers to the maintenance or improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, recovery, or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Healthcare is delivered by health professionals and allied health fields. Medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, midwifery, optometry, audiology, psychology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, athletic training, and other health professions are all part of healthcare. It includes work done in providing primary care, secondary care, and tertiary care, as well as in public health.
Access to Healthcare
Access to healthcare essentially means the timely use of personal health services to achieve the best health outcomes. It requires three distinct steps: gaining entry into the healthcare system (usually through insurance coverage), accessing a location where needed health care services are provided (geographic availability), and finding a health care provider whom the patient trusts and can communicate with (personal relationship).
Healthcare Systems
A healthcare system, also sometimes referred to as health system, is the organization of people, institutions, and resources that deliver healthcare services to meet the health needs of target populations. There are a wide variety of healthcare systems around the world, with as many histories and organizational structures as there are nations. In some countries, healthcare planning is distributed among market participants, whereas in others, planning occurs more centrally among governments or other coordinating bodies. In all cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), a well-functioning healthcare system requires a robust financing mechanism, a well-trained and adequately paid workforce, reliable information on which to base decisions and policies, and well maintained facilities and logistics to deliver quality medicines and technologies.
Healthcare Delivery
Healthcare delivery, also known as healthcare provision, is the provision of health care where individuals receive care. Healthcare delivery is classified into primary, secondary, and tertiary care categories. Primary care refers to the work of health professionals who act as a first point of consultation for all patients within the health care system. Secondary care, the largest element of healthcare, includes the provision of acute care often in a hospital via specialist. Tertiary care is specialized consultative healthcare, usually for inpatients and on referral from a primary or secondary health professional, in a facility that has personnel and facilities for advanced medical investigation and treatment.
Healthcare Financing
Healthcare financing refers to the mobilization of funds for health care, the allocation of funds to regions and population groups and for specific types of health care, and/or mechanisms for paying for health care. Healthcare financing is among the key component of a functional health system. Healthcare financing includes the activities of raising funds for health purposes (revenue collection), pooling resources and allocating them to where they are needed (resource allocation), and protecting people from financial catastrophe and impoverishment arising from ill-health (financial risk protection).
Healthcare Quality
Healthcare quality refers to the value provided by healthcare systems to their patients. This value is determined by measuring health outcomes against the cost of delivering the care. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) defines healthcare quality as "the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge."
