Hand hygiene.pdf

APPENDIX 1. DEFINITIONS OF
HEALTH-CARE SETTINGS AND OTHER
RELATED TERMS
HEALTH SYSTEMall the activities whose primary purpose is to promote, restore or
maintain health (The World Health Report 2000 – Health systems: improving performance)
DEFINITIONS FROM THE WHO GLOSSARY OF TERMS(Available at:
http://www.wpro.who.int/chips/chip04/definitions.htm)
HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE:
• General hospital. A hospital which provides a range of different services for
patients of various age groups and with varying disease conditions.
• Specialized hospital. A hospital admitting primarily patients suffering from a
specific disease or affection of one system, or reserved for the diagnosis and
treatment of conditions affecting a specific age group or of a long-term nature.
• District/first level referral hospital. A hospital at the first referral level that is
responsible for a district or a defined geographical area containing a defined population
and governed by a politico-administrative organization such as a district
health management team. The role of district hospitals in primary health care has
been expanded beyond being dominantly curative and rehabilitative to include
promotional, preventive and educational roles as part of a primary health-care
approach. The district hospital has the following functions:
1) it is an important support for other health services and for health care in general
in the district;
2) it provides wide-ranging technical and administrative support and education and
training for primary health care;
3) it provides an effective, affordable health-care service for a defined population,
with their full participation, in cooperation with agencies in the district that have
similar concerns.
• Primary health-care centre. A centre that provides services which are usually the
first point of contact with a health professional. They include services provided
by general practitioners, dentists, community nurses, pharmacists and midwives,
among others.
HEALTH WORKFORCE:
• Physicians/doctors. All graduates of any faculty or school of medicine, actually
working in the country in any medical field (practice, teaching, administration,
research, laboratory, etc.).
• Midwives. All persons who have completed a programme of midwifery education,
and have acquired the requisite qualifications to be registered and/or legally