medical ecology

medical ecology

An emerging discipline that assesses aspects of the environment that impact on human health—e.g., degradation of air, water and food, which leads to disease.

medical

1. pertaining to or emanating from the study or discipline of medicine, in the context of veterinary science in veterinary medicine.

2. a class of diseases that are traditionally treated by medicines rather than by surgery.

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medical ecology

study of the environment and its relationship to a population of animals with respect to the effect of the environment on the diseases of the animals.

problem-oriented medical record

a standardized format for keeping clinical records in a problem-oriented case management system. An early decision is made on what is the nature of the patient's problem or problems and from then on the patient's status with respect to each problem is assessed daily. This has the undeniable advantage that the clinician does not lose sight of the objective with respect to the individual patient. Without this approach there is always an inclination for the clinician to attack the disease and place the patient on a lower priority. The attitude adopted as a result of this approach is very similar to the herd health approach in herd medicine—the objective is the farmer's survival, not the eradication of some bacteria.

medical records

the detailed records, made at the time, of the clinical, clinical pathology and pathology examinations and treatments of each patient, or patient group. The records have importance to the welfare of the patient, and to potential medical research and legal investigations, and to be worth their full value they must be made contemporaneously.

medical technologist

a qualified worker in a paramedical field such as laboratory scientist, veterinary nurse or livestock inspector.