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Offices (surgeries) of general practitioners A considerable percentage of all health care establishments are the surgeries (offices) of general practitioners. General practitioners (-comparable to family doctors in Great Britain) are responsible for the primary care and refer the patient to the specialist, if necessary. Nowadays, most of them practice privately as self-employed subjects, giving employment for one registered nurse. They are bound by contract to the health insurance companies, and paid with a per capita premium per patient. This is the main part of their payment, but can be increased by some additional fees for special treatments. The patient does not pay for health care provided. The densitity of general practitioners in Slovakia is relatively high. Offices (practices) of medical specialists These services include the offices of medical specialists – gynaecologists, haematologists, surgeons, urologists, etc. They usually work in polyclinics or health centres or in hospital outpatients´ offices. Similar to the general practitioners, most of them are self-employed, bound by contract to the health insurance companies, giving employment for one registered nurse. They are paid with a per capita premium per patient as well as for the special treatments performed. The patient is usually referred to the specialist by his general practitioner, but this referral has not been needed recently, and the patient can directly go and see the specialist. In case of a visit to the gynaecologist this has been a rule for a long time. There are also medical specialists who still work for hospitals, but have opened also private practices of their own. These practices are usually well equipped and often operate in the afternoon or in the evening, sometimes even during weekends. Patients are examined by appointment and the waiting time for the examination is usually short. Especially in these offices, the health insurance does not cover the costs and the patient has to pay some extra fee. To tell the truth, the quality of these facilities differs, too. While the services offered in some of these centers are only slightly more improved than in regular medical institutions operated by the state, other facilities are luxurious and very well equipped. Offices of other health practitioners These services include the offices of psychologists, speech therapists, audiologists, dietitians, chiropractors, optometrists, podiatrists, occupational and physical therapists, etc. Also the offices of practitioners of alternative medicine, such as homeopaths, acupuncturists, hypnotherapists, and naturopaths, can be included among them. Demand for this services is often related to the ability of patients to pay, as only some of them are paid through health insurance. Offices of dentists / out-patient dental treatment Dentists' offices provide preventative and emergency care, sometimes also cosmetic care. The basic stomatologic care is free of charge, but its extent is not very wide. For all the other stomatologic services provided by the dentist, participation of the patient on expenses or full direct payment are needed. The typical staffing pattern in dentists' offices in Slovakia consists of one dentist working with a support of a nurse or a dental assistant. Larger practices are more likely to employ dental hygienists, dental assistants or administrative staff, but especially in them the dentists are not bound by contract to the health insurance companies and all the fees have to be paid by the patient. The services in some high-quality dental offices are very expensive, but they usually are worth the money. Some offices specialize in a single field of dentistry, such as orthodontics. Home health care services In Slovakia, health care services in the home are provided mainly to the elderly, but are in most cases related only to nursing care. Skilled nursing care is provided by registered nurses,
y nursing aides or home care aides under supervision of a highly educated nurse, usually running a home care agency of her own. Based on the present-day shortage of financial sources, there is an assumption that these services will develop fast as they can substantially save health care costs. The patients' preference for care in the home constitutes another advantage, but the existing lack of inhome medical technologies may slow down this inevitable progress. Other ambulatory healthcare services These services are not so numerous as the above mentioned. They include medical and diagnostic laboratories as well as some special outpatient care centres. These establishments are diverse, ranging from medical laboratories that analyze blood, do diagnostic imaging, and perform other clinical tests, to blood and organ banks, outpatient mental health centres, and substance abuse centres. 2) HOSPITALS: - provide services for hospitalized patients, called also in-patients, who have to stay in for some period of time. Hospitals provide complete medical care, ranging from diagnostic services, to surgery, to continuous nursing care. Some hospitals specialize in treatment of the mentally ill, cancer patients, or children. The quality varies depending on the type of hospital. The best medical facilities are the teaching hospitals in Bratislava, Martin and Košice that are attached to medical faculties. They are sufficiently equipped and the medical staff is highly professional. Hospitals in Slovakia mostly provide health care based on an inpatient (overnight) basis. But nowaday, as they need to improve their efficiency, care slowly continues to shift from an inpatient to outpatient basis whenever possible. Every point in the process of care-giving contains a certain degree of inherent unsafety but patient´s safety is a fundamental principle of health care. Therefore, making hospitals and health facilities safe from disasters is not only an economic, but also a social, moral and ethical necessity. Emergency operates in every hospital for 24 hours 7 days a week. Emergency phone numbers are 155 and 112. Hospitals employ workers with all levels of education and training, ranging from medical staff of various specialties to special therapists, social workers, registered nurses, nursing aides, psychiatric aides, or building cleaning workers. Hospitals also employ office and administrative workers. 3) RESIDENTIAL AND NURSING CARE FACILITIES: Residential care facilities provide around-the-clock social and personal care to children, the elderly, and others who have limited ability to care for themselves. Workers care for residents of alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers or not very numerous assisted-living facilities. Nursing and medical care, however, are not the main functions of establishments providing residential care. Nursing care facilities provide inpatient nursing, rehabilitation, and health-related personal care to those who need continuous nursing care, but do not require hospital services. Patients who need less assistance can be cared for in convalescent homes. PRIMARY HEALTH CARE The ultimate goal of primary health care is better health for all.
Page 1: HEALTH SERVICES (by Mgr. GABRIELA P
Page 5 and 6: JOBS PROSPECTS Healthcare workers a
Page 7 and 8: (Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa
Page 9: Bibliography: http://www.who.int/to

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