Advancing the Quality of Health Care with Special Emphasis on the Assessment of Outcome

A.The Evolving Scene of Medical Care: 1.Adequate medical care is a right of all citizens, not just a privilege for the few who can affort to pay for it. 2.Public forums concern the development of a more accessible, more equitable, and more efficient medical care delivery system. B.Type of 'Care' Services: 1.Definitions of 'Care'services: (1)Patient care- episodic disease care. (2)Medical care-episodic disease care.preventive medicine.(3)Health care-comprehensive care.quality of life. 2.Types of medical care: (1)Primary: Where the health care system is entered and basic services received and where all health services are mobilized and coorinated. generalist/broad focus.basic level of technology and skills. concerned with common conditions. continuous. serve small population. (2)Secondary: Represented by ambulatory services of a specialist nature and inpatient services provided in a community hospital-type facility. specialist/narrow focus. middle level of technology and skills. concerned with less frequent conditions needing special attention. discontinuous. serve large population. (3)Tertiary: Which includes the highly complex and sophisticated services avaiable only at a 'medical center'.