Medical treatment is any action taken by health care providers to treat a patient with a specific medical condition. This is typically done through medicines, but may also include other approaches such as surgery and therapy. A medical condition can be controlled, lessened in severity, or cured through treatment.
The goal of medicine is to restore or maintain human health and well-being, and is practiced within the context of public health. It is an interdisciplinary field, with many different health care professionals working together to deliver modern health services. In addition to doctors and nurses, these professionals may include paramedics, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, dietitians, radiologists, laboratory scientists, and healthcare administrators.
Modern medical treatment is based on science, and its progress has been greatly accelerated by discoveries such as Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccine in the 18th century, Robert Koch’s discovery of bacteria in the late 19th century, and the introduction of penicillin in the 1930s. Medical treatment is provided by a wide range of institutions, including hospitals, private practices, clinics, and specialist units in larger facilities such as cancer or heart centers. Some countries have government-sponsored universal healthcare systems that provide free or discounted medical treatment for all citizens, whereas others have more limited systems that only cover certain classes of patients.
Doctors use a process called medical decision making (MDM) to determine what is causing a patient’s symptoms, and then choose a course of treatment. This involves discussing the patient’s history, performing a physical examination, requesting laboratory and imaging tests, consulting other specialists, and considering various outcomes of treatment options. This information is documented in the patient’s medical records.
Treatments can be broadly categorized as either curative or palliative, but even the most effective treatments don’t cure every patient all the time. For example, the successful treatment of some cancers requires a combination of medications and surgical procedures. Treatment of other conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, is usually more focused on reducing symptoms and minimizing complications than curing the disease itself.
The cost of medical treatment can be a significant barrier to care in some cases, and in 2022 reports of adults delaying or not getting needed care because of costs were at their highest levels since the COVID-19 pandemic. This included a significant increase in reports of Americans delaying care for a serious medical condition, which were higher among lower-income adults and women. These findings highlight the need to address underlying issues, such as affordability and access to quality health care.