A healthcare professional , a healthcare practitioner or a healthcare provider (sometimes only "providers") are individuals who provide preventive, curative, promotional or rehabilitative health care services in a systematic way to people, families or communities.
A healthcare professional may operate in all branches of health care, including medicine, surgery, dentistry, obstetrics, pharmacy, psychology, nursing or related health professions. A health professional can also become a public health expert/community working for the common good of the community.
Video Health professional
Practitioners and professionals
Health practitioners included
and various other human resources trained to provide some types of health care services.
They often work in hospitals, health care centers and other service delivery points, but also in academic, research and administration training. Some provide care and treatment services for patients in private homes. Many countries have large numbers of public health workers working outside of formal health care institutions. Health care service managers, health information technicians, and assistant personnel and other support workers are also considered an important part of the health care team.
Health practitioners are generally grouped into the health profession. In every area of ​​expertise, practitioners are often classified according to skill level and specialization of expertise. "Health professionals" are highly skilled workers, in professions that typically require extensive knowledge including university-level studies leading to the award of a first degree or a higher qualification. This category includes doctors, physician assistants, dentists, midwives, radiographers, registered nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, ophthalmologists, practitioners of the operations department and others. Allied health professionals, also referred to as "health association professionals" in the International Standard Employment Classification, support the implementation of health care, treatment and referrals normally set by medical, nursing, and other health professionals, and usually require formal qualifications to practice. their profession. In addition, unlicensed auxiliary personnel help provide health care services as permitted.
Another way to categorize health practitioners is in accordance with the sub-areas in which they practice, such as mental health care, pregnancy and delivery care, surgical care, rehabilitation care, or public health.
Mental health practitioners
A mental health practitioner is a health worker offering services for the purpose of improving the individual's mental health or curing mental illness. These include psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners, marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, and other health professionals and allied health professions. These health care providers often deal with the same diseases, disorders, conditions, and problems; But the scope of their practice is often different. The most significant difference in the category of mental health practitioners is education and training.
Mother and newborn health practitioners
A mother and newborn health practitioner is a health worker handling the care of women and their children before, during and after pregnancy and childbirth. These health practitioners include obstetricians, midwives, midwifery nurses and many others. One of the main differences between these professions is in training and the authority to provide surgical services and other life-saving interventions. In some developing countries, traditional birth attendants, or traditional midwives, are the main source of pregnancy and childbirth care for many women and families, even though they are not certified or licensed.
Geriatric care practitioners
A geriatric care practitioner plans and coordinates elderly and/or disabled care to improve their health, improve their quality of life, and maintain their independence for as long as possible. They include geriatrics, adult-gerontology nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, geriatric clinical pharmacists, geriatric nurses, geriatric care managers, geriatric aides, nursing assistants, caregivers and others who focus on the health and psychological needs of older adults.
Surgical practitioners
A surgical practitioner is a health care professional specializing in the planning and delivery of patient perioperative care, including during anesthesia, surgery and recovery phases. They may include general surgeons and specialists, surgeon assistants, surgeon assistants, surgical assistants, anesthesiologists, anesthesia assistants, anesthesia nurses, surgical nurses, clinicians, surgery department practitioners, anesthesia technicians, perioperative nurses, surgical technologists, and etc.
Practitioners for rehabilitation care
Rehabilitation care practitioners are health workers who provide care and care aimed at improving and restoring functional and life quality abilities for those with physical or disability. These include physiatrics, rehabilitation nurses, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, physiotherapists, orthotists, prosthetists, occupational therapists, recreational therapists, audiologists, speech and language speakers, respiratory therapists, rehabilitation counselors, physical rehabilitation therapists, athletic trainers, physiotherapy technicians, orthotics. technicians, prosthetic technicians, personal care assistants, and others.
Practitioners eye care
Eye and adnexa care and treatment may be provided by an ophthalmologist specializing in surgical/medical care, or an ophthalmologist specializing in refractive management and medical/therapeutic care.
Medical diagnostic providers
Medical diagnostic providers are health workers who are responsible for the process of determining which illness or condition describes a person's symptoms and signs. It is most commonly referred to as a diagnosis with an implied medical context. This usually involves a team of health care providers in various diagnostic units. These include radiographers, radiologists, medical laboratory scientists, pathologists, and related professionals.
Practitioners of oral care
Dental practitioners are health workers who provide care and treatment to promote and restore oral hygiene. These include dentists and dental surgeons, dental assistants, dental assistants, dental hygienists, dental nurses, dental technicians, dental therapists, and related professionals.
Foot care practitioners
Treatment and treatment for the feet, ankles, and lower legs may be provided by podiatrists, street vendors, foot health practitioners, podiatric medical assistants, podiatric nurses and others.
Public health practitioners
A public health practitioner focuses on improving health among individuals, families and communities through the prevention and treatment of illness and injury, case supervision, and promotion of healthy behaviors. This category includes community and preventive medicine specialists, public health nurses, clinical nursing specialists, dietitians, environmental health workers, paramedics, epidemiologists, health inspectors, and others.
Alternative medicine practitioners
In many societies, alternative medicine practitioners have contact with a large number of people, whether integrated inside or remaining outside the formal health care system. These include practitioners in acupuncture, Ayurveda, herbal medicine, homeopathy, naturopathy, Siddha medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Korean medicine, and Unani. In some countries such as Canada, chiropractors and osteopaths (not to be confused with osteopathic medicine doctors in the United States) are considered alternative medicine practitioners.
Maps Health professional
Practice terms and regulations
Disadvantages of health workers
Many jurisdictions report a deficiency in the number of trained health human resources to meet the health needs of the population and/or service delivery targets, especially in areas where medically underserved. For example, in the United States, the 2010 federal budget invests $ 330 million to increase the number of doctors, nurses, and dentists practicing in areas of the country experiencing a shortage of trained health professionals. The budget extends the loan repayment program for doctors, nurses, and dentists who agree to practice in areas that are medically underserved. This funding will increase the capacity of nursing schools to increase the number of nurses. It will also allow countries to improve access to oral health care through a dental workforce development grant. The new resources Budget will maintain the expansion of health care workforce funded under the Recovery Act. There are 15.7 million health care professionals in the US in 2011.
In Canada, the 2011 federal budget announces the Canadian Student Loan Forgiveness program to encourage and support new family doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses to practice in the country's under-served or remote rural communities, including those providing health care for the first citizens and the population Inuit..
In Uganda, the Ministry of Health reported that as many as 50% of staffing positions for health workers in rural and underserved areas were empty. In early 2011, the Ministry undertook cost research and analysis to determine the most appropriate package of attractiveness and retention for medics, nurses, pharmacists and laboratory technicians in the country's rural areas.
At the international level, the World Health Organization estimates the shortfall of nearly 4.3 million physicians, midwives, nurses and support workers worldwide to meet key coverage levels of important primary health care interventions. The shortcomings are reported to be the most severe in the 57 poorest countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
Occupational hazards
Job stress and work fatigue are very common among health professionals. Several studies have shown that workplace stress is pervasive in the health care industry due to inadequate staff levels, long working hours, exposure to infectious diseases and harmful substances that cause illness or death, and in some countries the threat of malpractice litigation. Other stressors include emotional work caring for the sick and high patient burden. The consequences of this stress can include substance abuse, suicide, major depressive disorder, and anxiety, all of which occur at a higher level among health professionals than the general working population. Increased stress levels are also associated with high rates of fatigue, absence, and misdiagnosis, and reduced patient satisfaction levels. In Canada, the National Healthcare Providers ( Health Care Provider report ) also shows higher rates of absenteeism due to illness or disability among health care workers compared to the rest of the working population, even though those employed in health services reported rates equal health and fewer reports of injuries at work. There is some evidence that cognitive-behavioral therapy, relaxation and therapeutic training (including meditation and massage), and modifying the schedule can reduce stress and fatigue among different sectors of healthcare providers. Research is under way in this area, especially with regard to physicians, whose stress and fatigue due to their work is under-researched compared to other health professions.
Exposure to respiratory infections such as tuberculosis (caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis ) and influenza may be reduced by use of respirators; this exposure represents a significant job hazard for health care professionals. Exposure to hazardous chemicals, including chemotherapy drugs, is another potential occupational risk. These drugs can cause cancer and other health conditions. Health workers are also at risk for contracted illnesses through prolonged contact with patients, including scabies. Health professionals are also at risk of contracting blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS through needle injury or by contact with body fluids. This risk can be reduced by vaccination when there is an available vaccine, such as with hepatitis B. In epidemic situations, such as the West African Ebola virus epidemic 2014-2016 or the 2003 SARS outbreak, healthcare workers are at greater risk, and disproportionately affected both in Ebola and SARS outbreaks. In general, appropriate protective equipment (PPE) is the first line of protection for healthcare workers from infectious diseases. To be effective against highly infectious diseases, personal protective equipment should be water-resistant and prevent skin and mucous membranes from contact with infectious material. Different levels of personal protective equipment made for unique standards are used in situations where the risk of infection is different. Practices such as triple gloving and multiple respirators do not provide a higher level of protection and present a burden to workers, which also increases the risk of exposure when removing PPE. Adherence to appropriate protective equipment regulations may be difficult in certain situations, such as tropical environments or low resource settings. A Cochrane systematic review of 2016 found low quality evidence using more breathing cloth in PPE, double gloves, and active training reduces the risk of contamination.
Women's health care workers can deal with health and stress conditions associated with a particular workplace. According to the World Health Organization, women dominate in formal health workers in many countries, and are vulnerable to musculoskeletal injuries (caused by physically demanding tasks such as lifting and moving patients) and fatigue. Female health workers are exposed to hazardous drugs and chemicals in the workplace that can cause adverse reproductive outcomes such as spontaneous abortion and congenital malformations. In some contexts, women's health workers are also victims of gender-based violence, including co-workers and patients.
Health workers are at higher risk of injury at work due to violence. Drunken, confused, and hostile patients as well as visitors is a continuing threat to providers trying to treat patients. Often, assault and violence in health care settings are not reported and considered wrong as part of the job. Violent incidents usually occur during one-on-one treatment; alone with patients increases the risk of health care workers. In the United States, healthcare workers suffer 2/3 non-fatal violent workplace incidents. The psychiatric unit represents the highest proportion of violent incidents, at 40%; they were followed by geriatric units (20%) and emergency departments (10%). Workplace violence can also cause psychological trauma.
The Occupational Health Safety Network is a system developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to address health and safety risks among healthcare providers. Hospitals and other health facilities can upload work accident data they have collected to a secure database for analysis and comparison with other unidentified facilities from across the US. NIOSH works with OHSN participants in identifying and implementing timely and targeted interventions. The current OHSN module focuses on three high-risk and preventable events that can cause musculoskeletal injuries or disorders among healthcare providers: musculoskeletal injuries from patient-handling activities; slip, travel, and fall; and violence in the workplace. Slipping, tripping and falling are the two most common causes of workers' compensation claims in the US, and account for 21% of work-related injuries. These injuries most often result in strains and sprains; women, those over the age of 45, and those who have worked less than a year in a health care setting are at the highest risk.
Health care professionals also tend to experience sleep deprivation because of their work. Many health care professionals are in shift work schedules, and therefore experience the misalignment of their work schedules and circadian rhythms. In 2007, 32% of healthcare workers found sleep less than 6 hours each night. Lack of sleep also affects health care professionals to make mistakes that are potentially harmful to the patient.
Professional rules and registration
Practice without a valid license and is currently illegal. In most jurisdictions, the provision of health care services is regulated by the government. Individuals found to provide medical, nursing or other professional services without appropriate certification or licensing may face criminal sanctions and imprisonment that lead to imprisonment. Number of professions subject to regulation, requirements for individuals to receive professional licenses, and the nature of sanctions that may be imposed due to failure to comply vary in different jurisdictions.
In the United States, under Michigan state legislation, a person is guilty of a crime if identified as a practitioner in the health profession without a legal license or registration. Health professionals can also be jailed if found guilty of practicing beyond the limits permitted by their licenses and enrollment. The state law determines the scope of medical practice, nursing, and a number of related health professions. In Florida, unlicensed medical practice is a crime classified as a third-degree crime, which can incarcerate up to five years. Practicing a health care profession without a license resulting in serious bodily injury classifies as second level crime, providing up to 15 years in prison.
In the United Kingdom, health care professionals are regulated by the state; The Health and Care Professionals Council of England (HCPC) protects the 'title' of every profession it regulates. For example, it is illegal for someone to call themselves a Therapist or Occupational Radiographer if they are not listed in the HCPC list.
See also
References
External links
- World Health Organization: Health worker
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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