Health facility

{{short description|Any location at which medicine is practiced regularly}} [[Image:Hartford Hospital main entrance.JPG|thumb|[[Hartford Hospital]] in [[Hartford, Connecticut]]. A [[hospital]] is one common type of health facility.]]

[[Image:2008-09-02 NC Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat in Durham.jpg|thumb|An eye, ear, nose, and throat clinic in [[Durham, North Carolina]], illustrating a common smaller facility.]]

A '''health facility''' is, in general, any location where [[healthcare]] is provided. Health facilities range from small [[clinic]]s and [[doctor's office]]s to [[urgent care]] centers and large [[hospital]]s with elaborate [[emergency room]]s and [[trauma center]]s. The number and quality of health facilities in a [[country]] or region is one common measure of that area's [[prosperity]] and [[quality of life]]. In many countries, health facilities are [[regulation|regulated]] to some extent by [[health law|law]]; [[licensing]] by a regulatory agency is often required before a facility may open for business. Health facilities may be owned and operated by [[business|for-profit business]]es, [[non-profit organization]]s, [[government]]s, and, in some cases, [[individual]]s, with proportions varying by country. See also the recent review paper,<ref name="Ahmadi">{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1016/j.cor.2016.05.018| title = A Survey of Healthcare Facility Location| year = 2017| last1 = Ahmadi-Javid | first1 = A. | last2 = Seyedi | first2 = P. | last3 = Syam | first3 = S. | journal = Computers & Operations Research| volume = 79| pages = 223–263}}</ref>

== Health facility workload ==

The workload of a health facility is often used to indicate its size. Large health facilities are those with a greater patient load.

In Australia the workload of a health facility is used to determine the level of government funding provided to that facility. The government measures a facility (or health practice) in terms of its '''standard whole patient equivalent''' ('''SWPE'''). The SWPE calculation is determined by analysis of the patients that attend that facility. The calculation takes into account the proportion of health services (in dollars) rendered at that facility relative to others that each patient attends. It includes a weighting factor based on each patients' demography to account for the varied levels of services required by patients depending on their gender and age.<ref>{{cite report|website=Australian Medical Workforce Advisory Committee|publisher=Australian Institute of Health and Welfare|date=January 1996|title=AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL WORKFORCE BENCHMARKS|page=25|url=http://www.ahwo.gov.au/documents/Publications/1996/Australian%20medical%20workforce%20benchmarks.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100806234313/http://www.ahwo.gov.au/documents/Publications/1996/Australian%20medical%20workforce%20benchmarks.pdf|archivedate=August 6, 2010|url-status=unfit}}</ref> The premise of weighting is that patients require different levels of health services depending on their age and gender. For example, the average male patient requires fewer consultations than his older and infant counterparts. The table shows the weighting factors used in the standardization of workloads.

'''Table: Age by Sex Weights for SWPE Standardisation''' {| class="wikitable" |- ! Age (years) ! Male ! Female |- | less than 1 | 0.960 | 0.962 |- | 1-4 | 1.189 | 1.112 |- | less than 10 | 0.688 | 0.699 |- | 15-24 | 0.633 | 0.938 |- | 25-44 | 0.729 | 1.012 |- | 45-64 | 0.963 | 1.199 |- | 65-74 | 1.355 | 1.623 |- | 75+ | 1.808 | 2.183 |}

== Types of health facility ==

=== Hospital === {{Main|Hospital}} A hospital is an institution for [[healthcare]] typically providing specialized treatment for [[patient|inpatient]] (or overnight) stays. Some hospitals primarily admit patients with a specific [[disease]] or affliction, or are reserved for the diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting a specific age group. Others have a mandate that expands beyond offering dominantly curative and rehabilitative care services to include promotional, preventive and educational roles as part of a [[primary healthcare]] approach. Today, hospitals are usually funded by the state, health organizations ([[For-profit hospital|for profit]] or [[Non-profit organization|non-profit]]), by [[health insurance]]s or by [[Charitable organization|charities]] and by donations. Historically, however, they were often founded and funded by religious orders or charitable individuals and leaders. Hospitals are nowadays staffed by professionally trained doctors, nurses, paramedical clinicians, etc., whereas historically, this work was usually done by the founding religious orders or by volunteers.

=== Healthcare center === {{See also|Primary care}} Healthcare centres, including [[clinic]]s, [[doctor's office]]s, [[urgent care]] centers and [[ambulatory surgery center]]s, serve as first point of contact with a health professional and provide outpatient medical, nursing, dental, and other types of care services.<ref>{{cite web|website=World Health Organization|date=2010|title=Definition of Terms|location=Manila|url=http://www.wpro.who.int/NR/rdonlyres/4FAEFE0B-0194-40FC-A1F7-7BA9CC96F0CD/0/44finalDefinitions2010.pdf|url-status=unfit|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209173619/http://www.wpro.who.int/NR/rdonlyres/4FAEFE0B-0194-40FC-A1F7-7BA9CC96F0CD/0/44finalDefinitions2010.pdf|archivedate=December 9, 2010}}</ref>

=== Medical Nursing Homes === Medical nursing homes, including [[residential treatment center]]s and [[geriatric care management|geriatric care facilities]], are health care institutions which have accommodation facilities and which engage in providing short-term or long-term medical treatment of a general or specialized nature not performed by hospitals to inpatients with any of a wide variety of medical conditions.<ref name="UNSD">{{cite web|website=United Nations Statistics Division|title=International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities Rev.3.1|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/cr/registry/regcst.asp?Cl=17}}</ref>

=== Pharmacies and drug stores === {{Main|Pharmacy}} Pharmacies and drug stores comprise establishments engaged in retailing prescription or nonprescription drugs and medicines, and other types of medical and orthopaedic goods.<ref name="UNSD"/> Regulated pharmacies may be based in a [[hospital pharmacy|hospital]] or clinic or they may be privately operated, and are usually staffed by pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy aides.

=== Medical laboratory and research === {{Main|Medical laboratory|Biomedical research}} A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a [[laboratory]] where tests are done on biological specimens in order to get information about the [[health]] of a [[patient]]. Such laboratories may be divided into categorical departments such as [[microbiology]], [[hematology]], [[clinical biochemistry]], [[immunology]], [[serology]], [[histology]], [[cell biology|cytology]], [[cytogenetics]], or [[virology]]. In many countries, there are two main types of labs that process the majority of medical specimens. Hospital laboratories are attached to a [[hospital]], and perform tests on these patients. Private or community laboratories receive samples from [[general practitioner]]s, insurance companies, and other health clinics for analysis.

A biomedical research facility is where [[basic research]] or [[applied research]] is conducted to aid the body of knowledge in the field of [[medicine]]. Medical research can be divided into two general categories: the evaluation of new treatments for both safety and efficacy in what are termed [[clinical trial]]s, and all other research that contributes to the development of new treatments. The latter is termed [[Pre-clinical development|preclinical research]] if its goal is specifically to elaborate knowledge for the development of new therapeutic strategies.

== See also ==

* [[Health care industry]] * [[Lists of hospitals]] * [[Walk-in clinic]]

== References == {{Reflist}}

[[Category:Types of health care facilities]]