| preconception care | An organised and comprehensive program of health care that identifies and reduces a woman's reproductive risks before conception through risk assessment, health promotion, and interventions. Preconception care programs may be designed to include the male partner in providing counseling and educational information in preparation for fatherhood, such as genetic counseling and testing, financial and family planning, etc. This concept is different from prenatal care, which occurs during pregnancy. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| prenatal care | Care provided the pregnant woman in order to prevent complications, and decrease the incidence of maternal and prenatal mortality. (12 Dec 1998) |
| preoperative care | Care given during the period prior to undergoing surgery when psychological and physical preparations are made according to the special needs of the individual patient. This period spans the time between admission to the hospital to the time the surgery begins. (12 Dec 1998) |
| primary care | The medical home for a patient, ideally providing continuity and integration of health care. All family physicians and most paediatricians and internists are in primary care. The aims of primary care are to provide the patient with a broad spectrum of care, both preventive and curative, over a period of time and to coordinate all of the care the patient receives. (12 Dec 1998) |
| primary medical care | Care of a patient by a member of the health care system who has initial contact with the patient. (05 Mar 2000) |
| primary nursing care | The primary responsibility of one nurse for the planning, evaluation, and care of a patient throughout the course of illness, convalescence, and recovery. (12 Dec 1998) |
| progressive patient care | Organization of medical and nursing care according to the degree of illness and care requirements in the hospital. The elements are intensive care, intermediate care, self-care, long-term care, and organised home care. (12 Dec 1998) |
| secondary medical care | Medical care by a physician who acts as a consultant at the request of the primary physician. (05 Mar 2000) |
| home care agencies | Public or private organizations that provide, either directly or through arrangements with other organizations, home health services in the patient's home. (hospital administration terminology, 2d ed) (12 Dec 1998) |
| home care services | Community health and nursing services providing coordinated multiple service home care to the patient in his home. It includes services provided by a visiting nurse, home health agencies, hospitals, or other organised community groups. It differs from home nursing in that it is given by professionals while home nursing is provided by non-professionals. (12 Dec 1998) |
| home care services, hospital-based | Hospital-sponsored provision of health services, such as nursing, therapy, and health-related homemaker or social services, in the patient's home. (hospital administration terminology, 2d ed) (12 Dec 1998) |
| self care | Performance of activities or tasks traditionally performed by professional health care providers. The concept includes care of oneself or one's family and friends. (12 Dec 1998) |
| self-care units | Rooms in health care facilities for patients who require a minimal level of care. (12 Dec 1998) |
| hospice care | Specialised health care, supportive in nature, provided to a dying person. A holistic approach is often taken, providing the patient and his or her family with legal, financial, emotional, or spiritual counseling in addition to meeting the patient's immediate physical needs. Care may be provided in the home, in the hospital, in specialised facilities (hospices), or in specially designated areas of long-term care facilities. The concept also includes bereavement care for the family. (12 Dec 1998) |
| skin care | Maintenance of the hygienic state of the skin under optimal conditions of cleanliness and comfort. Effective in skin care are proper washing, bathing, cleansing, and the use of soaps, detergents, oils, etc. In various disease states, therapeutic and protective solutions and ointments are useful. The care of the skin is particularly important in various occupations, in exposure to sunlight, in neonates, and in decubitus ulcer. (12 Dec 1998) |