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A doctor's office in
/ref> GPs will also ask the patients about any mental health problems that they may be experiencing, and may refer them to a
Kristen's Guide
/ref>
Three articles on "The Doctor's Office" in the journal ''Modern American History.''
{{Authority control Types of health care facilities
A doctor's office in American English
American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lan ...
, a doctor's surgery in British English, or a doctor's practice, is a medical facility in which one or more medical doctors, usually general practitioners (GP), receive and treat patients.
Description
Doctors' offices are the primary place where ambulatory care is given, and are often the first place that a sick person would go for care, except in an emergency, in which case one would go to anemergency department
An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pati ...
at a hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
.
In developed countries, where health services
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wiktionary:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physical and menta ...
are guaranteed by the state in some form, most medical visits to doctors take place in their offices. In the United States, where this is not the case, many people who cannot afford health insurance
Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...
or doctor's visits must either go to free or reduced-cost clinics or an emergency department at a hospital for care, instead of a doctor's office.
For healthy people, most visits to doctors' offices revolve around a once-yearly recommended physical examination. This exam usually consists of gathering information such as a patient's blood pressure
Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels. Most of this pressure results from the heart pumping blood through the circulatory system. When used without qualification, the term "blood pressure" r ...
, heart rate, weight, and height, along with checking for any irregularities or signs of illness around the body.Annual Physical Exams: What to Expect/ref> GPs will also ask the patients about any mental health problems that they may be experiencing, and may refer them to a
psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...
for further examination in the event that they do indeed have such problems. If there are any other health problems that must be addressed by a medical specialist, such as a cardiologist, a referral will be given.
The staff of a doctor's office usually consists of nurses, receptionists, and doctors. Sometimes, many doctors of different medical specialties may be housed in one building, allowing easy referrals.
Facilities
Doctors' offices can range from spartan to luxurious. A basic office usually consists of a waiting room and examination room(s). Examination rooms usually consist of anexamination table
An examination table (or exam table) is used to support patients during medical examinations. During these exams, doctors in offices ( UK: surgeries), clinics and hospitals use an adjusting mechanism to manipulate and position the table to allow ...
, upon which the patient sits or lies down, and various other equipment, depending on the office. Examples of the equipment found in an examination room include:/ref>
References
Further reading
Three articles on "The Doctor's Office" in the journal ''Modern American History.''
{{Authority control Types of health care facilities