A medical treatment is an intervention intended to remedy a health problem. It may be a medicine, diagnostic procedure or surgery. All treatments have benefits, risks and possible side effects. It is important to discuss them with your doctor and always follow their recommendations. Some procedures are not available in all countries.
Modern medicine consists of many disciplines that work together as an interdisciplinary team. This includes nurses, emergency medical technicians and paramedics, laboratory scientists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, dieticians, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and psychologists. It also includes medical physicists and biomedical engineers.
The interdisciplinary team delivers modern medical care in hospitals and community clinics. Some hospitals are specialized in particular areas, for example burn treatment or high-risk pregnancy units. Moreover, some hospitals are equipped with facilities to offer specialist services such as organ transplantation or radiation oncology. These are known as tertiary care hospitals.
The scope and discipline of medicine have developed through the advancement of knowledge, technology and a growing understanding of the body. Traditionally, medical practitioners have based their decisions on an authoritative body of knowledge, known as the Materia Medica. However, this is gradually being replaced with a more evidence-based approach to medicine, whereby the benefits and harms of each treatment are considered before it is used.
Despite its immense success in treating acute infections, diseases like tuberculosis and polio, medical treatment has become less effective for chronic illnesses that are difficult to diagnose and treat. This is partly because most of the advances in medical science have resulted in ‘halfway technologies’ that extend life but do not cure the underlying illness, such as renal dialysis and antiretroviral drugs for AIDS.
Some treatments are cosmetic and not for the benefit of a person’s health, such as face lifts and liposuction. This practice is legal in most countries. It is also important to note that not all medical procedures are invasive or require hospitalisation, even if they are performed in a hospital. Some examples include taking note of a person’s temperature and blood pressure, a routine x-ray, the use of non-rigid means to support broken limbs or the use of elastic bandages or wraps to hold wounds closed.
Other medical disciplines include conservation medicine (studies the relationship between humans and other non-human animals) and diving medicine (prevention and treatment of diving-related problems). Others are based on theories of evolution, such as evolutionary medicine, which seeks to explain disease and healing through an understanding of human development. Some doctors and patients are concerned with the quality of research into medical treatments and have called for a greater emphasis on high-quality evidence. However, researchers have found that only around a quarter to a half of medical treatments are supported by high-quality evidence. This figure is lower than previously thought and it is important that funding for medical research is focused on generating higher-quality evidence about the effectiveness of treatments. It is not unreasonable to continue to be sceptical about some treatments until this happens.