Medical treatment refers to any procedure or therapy used to diagnose and treat illness or injury. Medical treatment includes, but is not limited to, suturing wounds, application of casts and other prosthetic devices, injections of glucocorticoids, antibiotics, blood transfusions, surgical removal of dead tissue (debridement), and first aid treatments such as ointments, salves, antiseptics, and dressings. It also encompasses any one-time observation visits for the purpose of assessing an injury or illness or for the purpose of preventing disease, such as flu shots and tetanus vaccinations.
Medical practice is a complex endeavor, and the scope of what doctors treat has broadened considerably over time as a result of advances in medicine. Medical treatments now encompass a wide range of diseases and conditions, from common ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure to serious ones including cancer, muscular dystrophy, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
Many patients rely on the advice of their physicians to determine what types of medical treatments are right for them, but this can be a dangerous path to follow. Doctors often have a bias toward what they think the patient needs, and this may lead them to prescribe unnecessary or ineffective care. Whether the medical treatment is something as simple as paracetamol or as costly as an operation, such practices don’t just expose patients to harm, they waste vast amounts of money on care that could be better spent on more pressing health issues.
The definition of what constitutes medical treatment is a subject of debate, but the most important factor is that the treatment must benefit the patient. This does not just mean that it must alleviate the patient’s suffering, but also must increase his or her chance of living longer. Until recently, there were few effective treatments for many diseases, including rheumatic fever, congenital blindness or deafness, and infectious disease such as rabies and smallpox.
As a result of medical advances, most diseases now treated with medicines and procedures that improve quality of life and extend longevity. However, most treatments have been ‘halfway’ technologies that reduce suffering or extend life but do not cure the disease; examples include long-term dialysis for renal failure and antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV/AIDS.
While the scope of what falls under medical treatment continues to grow, so do the costs. A variety of factors contribute to rising medical expenditures, from the demand for expensive procedures to the costs of cutting-edge equipment and research. Government policy plays a role in these costs, but the key is to find the balance between ensuring patients have access to advanced treatment and controlling spending to improve affordability.
Patients can help control costs by taking advantage of the various ways they can seek out cheaper care. For example, seeking care in a hospital’s network will cost less, and going to an ambulatory care or service center or a doctor’s office is even cheaper still. Shop around and take the time to compare prices, because providers’ rates vary widely.