Health facility
A health facility is a place or institution that provides health services, from preventive care and diagnosis to treatment and rehabilitation.
Hospital: A health facility that provides inpatient care and often offers emergency, diagnostic, surgical, and outpatient services. Hospitals are the most complex facilities, combining specialized services with overnight care.
Primary care: First-contact, continuous health care that addresses common needs and coordinates access to other services. Primary care is commonly delivered in clinics and health centres.
Health workforce: The people whose work directly or indirectly contributes to health services. Facilities depend on clinical and support staff to operate services.
Health-care access: The practical ability to obtain needed health services in a timely and appropriate manner. Distance, cost, and service availability at facilities shape access.
Outpatient care: Health care provided without an overnight stay in a hospital or other facility. It contrasts with the inpatient services that distinguish many hospitals.
Clinic: A health facility that provides outpatient medical care, often focused on primary care or a particular specialty. Clinics provide consultations and treatment without usually admitting patients overnight.
Emergency medicine: The medical specialty devoted to evaluating and treating acute illness and injury. Emergency departments provide the setting for urgent assessment and stabilization.
Medical equipment: Devices used to diagnose, monitor, prevent, or treat health conditions. Equipment determines which examinations and treatments a facility can provide.
Universal health coverage: A goal in which everyone can obtain needed quality health services without financial hardship. A network of functioning facilities is necessary to make coverage real.
Inpatient care: Health care requiring admission to a facility for at least one overnight stay. It depends on beds and continuous supervision, unlike most clinic visits.