Medicine is the scientific discipline and practice of treating a patient with an aim of improving their health, managing the ailment, diagnosis, recovery, prevention, and therapy of their ailment or injury. The word’medical’ is derived from the Greek word’memos’, which means medicine. It was Thomas Jefferson’s view that ‘health is the only good’. In modern times, medicine has become an arm of science dealing with the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and injuries, in order to promote the general well-being of society. There are various types of medicine: pediatric, geriatric, neonatal, cancer, internal medicine, nursing care, psychotherapy, physical therapy, pathology, pharmacology, trauma, geriatric, women’s health, family practice, pediatrics, surgery, psychiatry, psychology, social services, orthopedics, trauma, and infectious diseases.
Modern medicine concentrates on diagnosing, treating, preventing and reducing diseases and injuries by use of medicines. With the recognition of the body’s resistance to diseases, it has come up with advanced methods of prevention including vaccines and antibiotics. There is a rise in the number of people suffering from different diseases.
There are different ways in which medicine can be used to cure the patients. One can take medicines as prescribed by the doctor, get himself healed by following the advice of a doctor or use alternative medicines. Some people are allergic to certain types of medicines. In such cases they should avoid taking medicines that contain ingredients that they are allergic to.
It is impossible to predict a person’s reaction to a medicine, so doctors recommend medicines according to the symptom they have observed and the reaction that other patients have had previously. It is difficult to prescribe medicines as the reaction of a human being is not always same as that of another. However, there are many general rules that can be followed by doctors while prescribing medicine. According to American Heritage Dictionary, the primary rule of medicine is ‘the use of a medicine for the relief of the symptoms of a disease without treating the disease’.
The aim of medicine is to prevent or cure the diseases and injuries as well as protect the health and interests of individuals. In American Heritage Dictionary, the term of health-care is ‘a system of public and private health care services that emphasize preventive health care and quality health care delivery.’ The American Heritage Dictionary also defines health-care as the practice of taking care of the physical and mental health of the entire community through a coordinated system of care.’ This implies that we have a common set of goals in the field of medicine and this article discusses the importance of achieving the primary set of goals.
Primary care providers play an important role in achieving the primary goals of medicine. He should be concerned about his patient’s health-care needs and contribute to the fulfillment of the primary goals. Primary care providers should ensure that the primary goals are being met by the entire health-care team. By adopting a holistic approach, primary care professionals should also contribute to the achievement of secondary goals.
