BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES - Universitatea de Medicină şi Farmacie

3.3. Health Care as a Social System
As define above in the first paragraph an institution is a term that
refers to any structure or mechanism of social order and cooperation
governing the behavior of a set of individuals within a given human
community for acquiring a purpose important to a society as a hole. The
interaction of these structures and mechanisms (i.e. institutions) constitute
social systems. In the light of this definition medicine is a system or is a
form of organization of activity directed towards health improvement.
World Medical Organization defines a Health System as the structured and
interrelated set of all actors and institutions contributing to health
improvement. "A health system consists of all organizations, people and
actions whose primary intent is to promote, restore or maintain health.
This includes efforts to influence determinants of health as well as more
direct health-improving activities…”
Medical organization
Medical organization is an institution that provides preventive,
curative, promotional or rehabilitative health care services in a systematic
way to individuals, families or communities. Among medical organization
can be listed: Hospital, Health care centre, Medical nursing home,
Pharmacies and drug stores, Medical laboratory and research etc.
A hospital is an institution for health care providing patient
treatment by specialized staff and equipment, and often, but not always
providing for inpatient care (is the care of patients whose condition
requires admission to a hospital) or longer-term patient stays. Today,
hospitals are usually funded by the public sector, by health organizations
(for profit or nonprofit), health insurance companies or charities, including
by direct charitable donations. Historically, however, hospitals were often
founded and funded by religious orders or charitable individuals and
leaders.
Health care centers, including clinics (i.e. health care facility that
is primarily devoted to the care of outpatients) and ambulatory surgery
centers (i.e. health care centers where surgical procedures not requiring an
overnight hospital stay are performed), serve as first point of contact with
a health professional and provide outpatient medical, nursing, dental and
other types of care services.
Medical nursing homes, including residential treatment centers
(i.e. live-in health care facility providing therapy for substance abuse,
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