Medical treatment is an effort to improve health and treat diseases and injuries. It may include prescription medications, medical devices and other therapies such as physical or occupational therapy. Medical treatment aims to reduce pain, slow the progression of a disease or even cure the illness. It can also help prevent complications and extend a person’s life. Some treatments are not available for certain conditions, and others have risks and side effects. For example, medical treatment of alcoholism or drug addiction can be provided in an inpatient facility or on an outpatient basis.
Medicine treats many conditions that do not fit a strict definition of disease. For example, a normal and inherited condition such as short stature can be disadvantageous but is not pathological, and baldness is not a disorder. Likewise, the need to sleep regularly, eat regularly and breathe in oxygen to sustain life is not a disorder.
There are also many cases in which the goal of medical treatment is to manage a health problem rather than eradicate it. For example, insulin is used to treat diabetes. It keeps a person’s blood sugar within a healthy range, but it does not cure the disease. As scientists continue to make new discoveries, it is possible that even diseases without a cure today will eventually have one.
Some writers equate “health” with some concept of theoretical biology that allows disease judgments about large numbers of organisms. However, this view does not hold up under closer examination, because it would condemn such nonpathological interventions as contraceptive pills, obstetric anesthesia and circumcision of baby boys.
Another approach to ethical problems in medical treatment focuses on the principle of minimizing harm. This does not necessarily mean avoiding all medical intervention, but it does require that doctors weigh the benefits and risks of a proposed procedure in light of their patient’s needs, values and preferences. It also requires doctors to explain the reasons for their recommendations, and how those recommendations meet or fall short of the standard of care.
Medical treatment can be very personal. A physician’s recommendation can be controversial, especially when it is based on scientific evidence and is designed to prolong or improve quality of life. Ethical issues arise when the patient’s wishes conflict with the doctor’s recommendation or when a decision about end-of-life care raises complex ethical questions. Moreover, disparities in access to medical treatment based on factors like income, race or geography raise ethical concerns about equity and justice. In addition, the use of medical treatment to treat chronic illness is an ongoing and sometimes expensive endeavor. Some people are unwilling or unable to assume the financial risk of treatment, particularly when they may not fully understand the benefits of treatment or its potential for side effects. This is a major reason why shared decision making is a central feature of modern medical practice. It allows a physician to make recommendations that are based on the best medical evidence and to discuss how those recommendations might help or hinder a particular patient’s goals and needs.