![Legionowo, Poliklinika Wojskowa - fotopolska](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Legionowo%2C_Poliklinika_Wojskowa_-_fotopolska.eu_%28343207%29.jpg)
A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a
health facility
A health facility is, in general, any location where healthcare is provided. Health facilities range from small clinics and doctor's offices to urgent care centers and large hospitals with elaborate emergency rooms and trauma centers. The nu ...
that is primarily focused on the care of
outpatients
A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health care ...
. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the
primary care
Primary care is the day-to-day healthcare given by a health care provider. Typically this provider acts as the first contact and principal point of continuing care for patients within a healthcare system, and coordinates other specialist care ...
needs of populations in local communities, in contrast to larger
hospitals which offer more specialised treatments and admit
inpatients
A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other hea ...
for overnight stays.
Most commonly, the English word clinic refers to a
general practice
General practice is the name given in various nations, such as the United Kingdom, India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to the services provided by general practitioners. In some nations, such as the US, similar services may be describe ...
, run by one or more
general practitioners offering small therapeutic treatments, but it can also mean a
specialist clinic. Some clinics retain the name "clinic" even while growing into institutions as large as major hospitals or becoming associated with a hospital or
medical school.
Etymology
![GreenwichSurgeryClinic bordercropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/GreenwichSurgeryClinic_bordercropped.jpg)
The word ''clinic'' derives from Ancient Greek ''klinein'' meaning to slope, lean or recline. Hence ''klinē'' is a couch or bed and ''klinikos'' is a physician who visits his patients in their beds. In Latin, this became ''clīnicus''.
An early use of the word clinic was "one who receives baptism on a sick bed".
Overview
![VelikiVrag-Medpunkt-1435](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/VelikiVrag-Medpunkt-1435.jpg)
Clinics are often associated with a general medical practice run by one or several
general practitioners. Other types of clinics are run by the type of specialist associated with that type:
physical therapy clinics by
physiotherapist
Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patien ...
s and psychology clinics by
clinical psychologists
Clinical psychology is an integration of social science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and persona ...
, and so on for each health profession. (This can even hold true for certain services outside the medical field: for example,
legal clinic
A legal clinic (also law clinic or law school clinic) is a legal aid or law school program providing services to various clients and often hands-on-legal experience to law school students. Clinics are usually directed by clinical professors. L ...
s are run by
lawyers.)
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.
Health care in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
China,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
and
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
is provided to those regions' vast rural areas by mobile health clinics or roadside
dispensaries
A dispensary is an office in a school, hospital, industrial plant, or other organization that dispenses medications, medical supplies, and in some cases even medical and dental treatment. In a traditional dispensary set-up, a pharmacist dispense ...
, some of which integrate
traditional medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
. In India these traditional clinics provide
ayurvedic medicine and
unani
Unani or Yunani medicine (Urdu: ''tibb yūnānī'') is Perso-Arabic traditional medicine as practiced in Muslim culture in South Asia and modern day Central Asia. Unani medicine is pseudoscientific. The Indian Medical Association describes U ...
herbal medical practice. In each of these countries,
traditional medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
tends to be a hereditary practice.
Function
![Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1983-0527-010, Chemnitz, Poliklinik, Springbrunnen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-1983-0527-010%2C_Chemnitz%2C_Poliklinik%2C_Springbrunnen.jpg)
The function of clinics differs from country to country. For instance, a local general practice run by a single general practitioner provides
primary health care
Primary health care, or PHC, refers to "essential health care" that is based on scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology. This makes universal health care accessible to all individuals and families in a community. PHC in ...
and is usually run as a
for-profit business by the owner, whereas a government-run specialist clinic may provide subsidised or specialised health care.
Some clinics serve as a place for people with injuries or illnesses to be seen by a
triage
In medicine, triage () is a practice invoked when acute care cannot be provided for lack of resources. The process rations care towards those who are most in need of immediate care, and who benefit most from it. More generally it refers to prio ...
nurse or other
health worker. In these clinics, the injury or illness may not be serious enough to require a visit to an
emergency room (ER), but the person can be transferred to one if needed.
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
An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...
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.
Large outpatient clinics
![Detskaya poliklinika 137 v Novokosino](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Detskaya_poliklinika_137_v_Novokosino.JPG)
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
doctors and
nurse
Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...
s to provide
ambulatory care
Ambulatory care or outpatient care is medical care provided on an outpatient basis, including diagnosis, observation, consultation, treatment, intervention, and rehabilitation services. This care can include advanced medical technology and proce ...
and some
acute care
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.Alberta Health ServicesAcute care.Acce ...
services but lack the major surgical and pre- and
post-operative care facilities commonly associated with hospitals.
![Poliklinik Viršuliškės](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Poliklinik_Vir%C5%A1uli%C5%A1k%C4%97s.jpg)
Besides GPs, if a clinic is a
polyclinic
A polyclinic (where ''poly'' means "many"; not to be confused with the homonym policlinic, where ''poli'' means "city" and which is sometimes used for a hospital's outpatient department) is a clinic or health care facility that provides both gen ...
, it can house outpatient departments of some medical specialties, such as
gynecology,
dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medica ...
,
ophthalmology
Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders.
An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...
,
otolaryngology
Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...
,
neurology
Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal ...
,
pulmonology,
cardiology
Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular h ...
, and
endocrinology
Endocrinology (from '' endocrine'' + '' -ology'') is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones. It is also concerned with the integration of developmental event ...
. In some
university cities, polyclinics contain outpatient departments for the entire teaching hospital in one building.
Internationally
![Písek, Alšovo náměstí, poliklinika](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/P%C3%ADsek%2C_Al%C5%A1ovo_n%C3%A1m%C4%9Bst%C3%AD%2C_poliklinika.JPG)
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;
and in many countries across Asia and Africa.
In Europe, especially in the Central and Eastern Europe, bigger outpatient health centres, commonly in cities and towns, are called policlinics (derived from the word polis, not from poly-).
Recent Russian governments have attempted to replace the policlinic model introduced during Soviet times with a more western model. However, this has failed.
In the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
, 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.
India has also set up huge numbers of polyclinics for former defence 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.
Polyclinics are also the backbone of Cuba's primary care system and have been credited with a role in improving that nation's health indicators.
[Cuba’s primary health care revolution: 30 years on, ''Bulletin of the World Health Organization'' ](_blank)
/ref>
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. People relied on various socio-cultural adaptations and remedies to prevent illnesses, such as personal hygiene and settlement patterns. 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.
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. Over 6 months, information on immunization status, diagnosis of anemia, skin and intestinal disorders, nutrition, dental disorders was collected and showed that visits to mobile clinics improved the overall health of children that visited regularly. It concluded that specified "planning of these programs in areas with similarly identified barriers may help correct the health disparities
Health equity arises from access to the social determinants of health, specifically from wealth, power and prestige. Individuals who have consistently been deprived of these three determinants are significantly disadvantaged from health inequiti ...
among Namibian OVC and could be a first step in improving child morbidity and mortality Morbidity and mortality may refer to:
* ''Morbidity and Mortality'' (journal), now known as ''Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report'', a weekly publication by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
*Morbidity and mortality conference, a peri ...
in difficult-to-reach rural areas."
Food supplement
A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement one's diet by taking a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources or that are synthetic in order ...
ation in the context of routine mobile clinic visits also shows to have improved the nutritional status of children, and it needs further exploration as a way to reduce childhood malnutrition
Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues ...
in resource-scarce areas. A cross-sectional study focussed on comparing acute and chronic undernutrition rates prior to and after a food-supplementation program as an adjunct to routine health care for children of migrant workers residing in rural communities in the Dominican Republic. Rates of chronic undernutrition decreased from 33% to 18% after the initiation of the food-supplementation program and shows that the community members attending the mobile clinics are not just passively receiving the information but are incorporating it and helping keep their children nourished.
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
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
; they are a type of free clinic funded by the provincial government; they provide service not covered by Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
's healthcare plan including social workers
* In the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, a free clinic
A free clinic or walk in clinic is a health care facility in the United States offering services to economically disadvantaged individuals for free or at a nominal cost. The need for such a clinic arises in societies where there is no universa ...
provides free or low-cost healthcare for those without insurance.
* A retail-based clinic is housed in supermarkets and similar retail outlets providing walk-in health care, which may be staffed by nurse practitioners
A nurse practitioner (NP) is an advanced practice registered nurse and a type of mid-level practitioner. NPs are trained to assess patient needs, order and interpret diagnostic and laboratory tests, diagnose disease, formulate and prescribe ...
.
* A general out-patient clinic offers general diagnoses or treatments without an overnight stay.
* A polyclinic
A polyclinic (where ''poly'' means "many"; not to be confused with the homonym policlinic, where ''poli'' means "city" and which is sometimes used for a hospital's outpatient department) is a clinic or health care facility that provides both gen ...
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 sexual health clinic deals with sexual health related problems, such as prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and oral ...
.
** A gender identity clinic provides services relating to transgender health care.
** A fertility clinic
Fertility clinics are medical clinics that assist couples, and sometimes individuals, who want to become parents but for medical reasons have been unable to achieve this goal via the natural course. Clinics apply a number of diagnosis tests and s ...
aims to help women and couples to become pregnant.
** An abortion clinic
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregnan ...
is a medical facility providing abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...
services to women.
** An ambulatory surgery clinic offers outpatient or same day surgery services, usually for surgical procedures less complicated than those requiring hospitalization.
**An ultrasound clinic offers medical ultrasound
Medical ultrasound includes diagnostic techniques (mainly imaging techniques) using ultrasound, as well as therapeutic applications of ultrasound. In diagnosis, it is used to create an image of internal body structures such as tendons, mu ...
investigations for patients. An ultrasound clinic is normally run privately.
See also
* Healthcare provider
A health care provider is an individual health professional or a health facility organization licensed to provide health care diagnosis and treatment services including medication, surgery and medical devices. Health care providers often receive ...
* Health center
A healthcare center, health center, or community health center is one of a network of clinics staffed by a group of general practitioners and nurses providing healthcare services to people in a certain area. Typical services covered are family pr ...
* Health systems management
* Healthcare system
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profes ...
* Nurse-led clinic
* Polyclinics in England
* Walk-in clinic
A walk-in clinic (also known as a walk-in centre) is a medical facility that accepts patients on a walk-in basis and with no appointment required. A number of healthcare service providers fall under the walk-in clinic umbrella including urgent c ...
References
{{Authority control
Types of health care facilities