Ambulatory care is any
medicalMedicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
care delivered on an
outpatient basis. Many medical conditions do not require
hospitalA hospital is an institution for health care providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment, and often but not always providing for longer-term patient stays....
admission and can be managed without admission to a hospital. Many medical investigations can be performed on an ambulatory basis, including
blood testA blood test is a laboratory analysis performed on a blood sample that is usually extracted from a vein in the arm using a needle, or via fingerprick....
s,
X-raysMedical imaging refers to the techniques and processes used to create images of the human body for clinical purposes or medical science .As a discipline and in its widest sense, it is part of biological imaging and incorporates...
,
endoscopyEndoscopy means looking inside and typically refers to looking inside the body for medical reasons using an instrument called an endoscope...
and even
biopsyA biopsy is a medical test involving the removal of cells or tissues for examination. It is the removal of tissue from a living subject to determine the presence or extent of a disease. The tissue is generally examined under a microscope by a pathologist, and can also be analyzed chemically...
procedures of superficial organs.
Sites where ambulatory care can be delivered include:
Physician offices : This is the most common site for the delivery of ambulatory care.
Ambulatory care is any
medicalMedicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
care delivered on an
outpatient basis. Many medical conditions do not require
hospitalA hospital is an institution for health care providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment, and often but not always providing for longer-term patient stays....
admission and can be managed without admission to a hospital. Many medical investigations can be performed on an ambulatory basis, including
blood testA blood test is a laboratory analysis performed on a blood sample that is usually extracted from a vein in the arm using a needle, or via fingerprick....
s,
X-raysMedical imaging refers to the techniques and processes used to create images of the human body for clinical purposes or medical science .As a discipline and in its widest sense, it is part of biological imaging and incorporates...
,
endoscopyEndoscopy means looking inside and typically refers to looking inside the body for medical reasons using an instrument called an endoscope...
and even
biopsyA biopsy is a medical test involving the removal of cells or tissues for examination. It is the removal of tissue from a living subject to determine the presence or extent of a disease. The tissue is generally examined under a microscope by a pathologist, and can also be analyzed chemically...
procedures of superficial organs.
Sites where ambulatory care can be delivered include:
Physician offices : This is the most common site for the delivery of ambulatory care. Physicians of many specialties deliver ambulatory care. These physicians include specialists in
family medicineFamily medicine is a medical specialty devoted to comprehensive health care to people of all ages. It is a form of primary care that provides continuing, comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, sexes, diseases, and parts of the body...
,
internal medicineInternal medicine is the medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis, management and nonsurgical treatment of unusual or serious diseases. According to some sources, an emphasis on internal structures is implied. In North America, specialists in internal medicine are commonly called, "internists"...
,
obstetricsObstetrics is the surgical specialty dealing with the care of women and their children during pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal. Midwifery is the non-medical equivalent...
, gynocology,
cardiologyCardiology is a specialty dealing with disorders of the heart and blood vessels. The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology. Physicians specializing in this field of medicine are...
,
gastroenterologyGastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. Etymologically, the name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gastros , enteron , and logos ....
,
endocrinologyEndocrinology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorder of the endocrine system and its specific secretions called hormones, the integration of developmental events such as proliferation, growth, and differentiation and the coordination of metabolism,...
,
ophthalmologyOphthalmology is a branch of medicine which deals with the diseases and surgery of the visual pathways, including the eye, hairs, and areas surrounding the eye, such as the lacrimal system and eyelids. The term ophthalmologist is an eye specialist for medical and surgical problems...
, and
dermatologyDermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. The name of this specialty originated in the form of the words dermologie and, a little later, dermatologia...
.
Hospital emergency departments : Some visits to emergency departments result in hospital admission, so these would be considered
emergency medicineEmergency medicine is a medical specialty in which a physician receives practical training to provide patients with acute illnesses or injuries which require immediate medical attention. While not usually providing long-term or continuing care, emergency medicine physicians diagnose a variety of...
visits rather than ambulatory care. Most visits to hospital emergency departments, however, do not require hospital admission. Many of these visits are not true emergencies and are better seen in an
urgent careUrgent care is the delivery of ambulatory care in a facility dedicated to the delivery of medical care outside of a hospital emergency department, usually on an unscheduled, walk-in basis. Urgent care centers are primarily used to treat patients who have an injury or illness that requires immediate...
center.
Urgent care centers : The
Urgent Care Association of America(UCAOA) estimates that over 15,000 urgent care centers deliver urgent care in the USA. These centers are designed to evaluate and treat conditions that are not severe enough to require treatment in a hospital emergency department but still require treatment beyond normal physician office hours or before a physician appointment is available.
Ambulatory Care Classifications
Ambulatory care is generally classifiable in two groups:
1. Medical institution-based settings, including:
Ambulatory care clinics, ambulatory surgery centers and emergency medical services.
2. Non-medical institution-based settings, including:
School and prison health; vision, dental and pharmaceutical care.
External links