Overview of Orthopedics / The Orthopedic Team
What is orthopedics?
The word orthopedic comes from two Greek words:
· ortho meaning straight
· pedia meaning children
Orthopedics is the branch of medicine concerned with diseases, injuries, and conditions of the musculoskeletal system - relating to the body's muscles and skeleton, and including the joints, ligaments, tendons, and nerves.
The proper title of this medical specialty is orthopedic surgery, although orthopedics is a generally accepted term.
Who treats orthopedic conditions?
Orthopedic conditions may be treated by your physician and/or other medical specialists and healthcare providers. Several physicians from different medical specialties may be involved in the treatment at the same time. This multidisciplinary team approach is particularly important in managing the symptoms of an orthopedic condition, especially as many symptoms are chronic and change in severity over time. Some of the more common medical professionals involved in the treatment of orthopedic conditions may include the following:
· Primary Care Physician
A primary care physician is one who has specialized education and training in general internal medicine, family practice, or another first-level-of-care area. Primary care physicians are those who provide patients with any/all of the following: o routine health care (including annual physical examinations and immunizations) o treatment for acute medical conditions o initial care for conditions that may become more serious or chronic in nature
While your primary care physician may treat and/or diagnose your disease, he/she may refer you to a specialist for more specialized treatment of certain aspects of a disease.
· Orthopedic Surgeon
The physician who specializes in orthopedic surgery is called an orthopedic surgeon, or sometimes, simply, an orthopedist. Orthopedists are educated in the workings of the musculoskeletal system, which includes (but is not limited to) diagnosing a condition or disorder, identifying and treating an injury, providing rehabilitation to an affected area or function, and establishing prevention protocol to inhibit further damage to a diseased area...
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...sp; assisting children and adults in learning how to carry out daily tasks o conducting group or individual treatment to help children and adults in a mental health center learn to cope with daily activities o recommending changes in layout and design of the home or school to allow children and adults with injuries or disabilities greater access and mobility
Occupational therapists work in a variety of different settings, including the following:
· hospitals
· rehabilitation centers
· schools
· home care agencies
· private practice
· government agencies
· Podiatrist
A podiatrist specializes in foot care and is licensed to prescribe medication and perform surgery.
· Nurses
Nurses specialized in the care of orthopedic conditions may assist your physician in providing care. In addition, these nurses will help you to understand your treatment plan and can answer many of your questions.
His learning helped provide the best care possible for the Roman army. He is often referred to as the father of modern medicine, and many of his techniques and teachings were standard throughout the Middle Ages. In 1741, Nicholas Andry, a professor of medicine at the University of Paris, formed the word orthopedia out of two Greek words. Ortho meaning straight, free from deformity and paidios, a child. He combined these two words to express in one term his purpose, which is to teach the different methods of preventing and correcting deformities of children. Later on in the future many developments in orthopedic surgery resulted from experiences during wartime. These injuries were probably frequently lethal, especially if the skin was broken and infection set in. Those that healed may well have left the victim with a deformed arm or joint that was permanently out of alignment. Eventually, doctors developed ways to treat broken bones by looking at ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics depicting injured limbs wrapped and braced
... those goals. Part of the job of a nurse in caring for a patient with osteoarthritis is helping them to make a plan for how they can reach these goals. Having the ability to choose the safest treatment options which will improve symptoms and overall quality of life is essential in goal planning. Nurses cannot provide safe and effective patient care without understanding what the patient is facing. Osteoarthritis is not curable, and many of the treatments do not stop the progression of the condition, but only alleviate the symptoms. Patient education is imperative in this condition, as patients will need to be educated on safe long term treatments, the pharmaceutical treatments that are only safe for short term use, the ROM exercises that they should practice daily, and the options for surgical treatment along with the rehabilitation involved with those options.
In the United States, there are two kinds of physicians that practice medicine. The Osteopathic medicine is practiced by the Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) while Allopathic medicine is practiced by the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.). Due to more physicians hold the degree of MD than the DO's degree, few people recognize Osteopathic Physicians.
Over the course of two semesters I shadowed Dr. Robert Marsh as he interacted with countless and diverse patients seeking orthopedic treatment. Through my observation, I had the opportunity to experience the doctor patient relationship and the great responsibility that relationship entailed. His passion and commitment to every patient he helped, taught me that to care for and respect the patient is just as important as treating their injuries. This experience taught me that as a physician you need to work with the patient as well as those around you (residents/physicians/nur sing staff) in order to be a reliable source of information and have the insight for the patient’s well-being.
Rashid, C., (2010). Benefits and limitations of nurses taking on aspects of the clinical role of doctors in primary care: integrative literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(8), 1658-1670. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05327.x
The topic of my disease diary is Osteoarthritis. In the following report I will talk about the characteristic of Osteoarthritis, the causes and symptoms, what happens chemically, the treatment of the disorder and how the relationship to other body systems is.
The big picture. Where the two schools of medicine differ is in philosophy. Doctors of osteopathy "treat people, not just symptoms," says Karen Nichols, dean of the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. "The course list looks exactly the same, but the M.D.'s focus is on discrete organs. The osteopathic focus is that all of those pieces are interrelated. You can't affect one with out affecting another." That means paying more than simple lip service to the idea of the "whole" patient: It means that diagnosis and treatment rely on an examination of a person's environment and family and general situation as well as his or her body. Not surprisingly, about 65 percent of the nation's 52,000 licensed osteopaths (by comparison, the country boasts at least 900,000 M.D.'s) are primary-care physicians. The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine has a description of osteopathic training, as well as short profiles of 20 schools, at www.aacom.org. The D.O. programs and their contact information are listed in the directory section of this book.
The purpose of this literature review was to understand the patient perceptions of nurse practitioners in primary care versus a medical physician in primary care. There is very little research that addresses patient perceptions of nurse practitioners delivering primary care versus medical physicians also in primary care. Due to the lack of research in this area, the focus of this literature review shifted to nurse practitioner and physician perceptions of nurse practitioners in primary care and patient outcomes. The one study found on patient perceptions regarding nurse practitioners delivering primary care had similar results to other studies that looked at nurse practitioner and physician perceptions in that the care delivered by nurse practitioners are standard to above standard care.
The unique and underlying traits of every patient provides a gateway to potential treatment options and disease identification. Understanding every aspect of someone you are treating goes beyond the illness or injury, it involves the mind, body, and spirit. In osteopathic medicine, this principle is not only upheld, but implemented to the highest standard for every patient treated. Utilizing this method, and striving to pursue primary care solidified my choice to become an osteopathic physician.
Osteoarthritis is usually treated with analgesics and non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs. These drugs have been shown to cause serious gastrointestinal and cardiovascular adverse events, especially with long term use (17) Other medical interventions including orthopedic surgery such as joint replacement have been implemented with OA Patients. There have been several studies on the the use of glucosamine and chondroitin with the treatment for the treatment and prevention of OA. Glucosamine and chondroitin are among the most popular non-vitamin, non-mineral specialty supplements in the United States, with sales of the supplements reaching over 2billion dollars globally (7) (17) They are often taken together as a single daily supplement for osteoarthritis. It has been estimated that 7.4% of older Americans use glucosamine-chondroitin, a prevalence of use similar to that for acetaminophen. While the biologic effects of these
What is a pediatrician? Pediatricians are doctors who specialize and focus in caring for babies to young adults (Career Cruising). They deal with childhood diseases and the care of infants with health and sickness (Elberts). The typical upper age limit of patients is from age twelve to age twenty-one (NetMed Pediatrics). They have to treat their patients as if he or she were going to change the world. Pediatricians complete many tasks in a day’s time. They perform physical exams and order tests that will diagnose diseases and injuries that have occurred. They advise surgery and medications and may also help patients through puberty and family problems (Career Cruising). It is their responsibility to make sure the patients are not only healthy, but also safe and happy. Some pediatricians communicate with social workers, family members, and health care workers to understand the entire situation as best as they can (Career Cruising). If the patient seems to have more personal problems, pediatricians have the opportunity to send them to other doctors like a psychiatrist for treatment. Others work as advocates by educating the community about car safety and the benefits from school breakfast (Career Cruising).
Specialist Referrals– The Primary Care Physician (PCP) may request a consultation from a participating specialist physician at any time. The PCP determines the number of visits authorized. Specialists may include – Gynecologist, Radiation Oncologists, Ophthalmologists, Pediatric Ophthalmologists, Retinologists and Allergists etc.
In the field of medicine, surgeons carry out medical procedures that mainly deal with making incisions on patients in order to carry out medical procedures that may lead to healing. This usually takes place as a result when medical prescriptions fail to yield results and the only way to help the body to heal is by performing an operation on the part of a body. Most importantly is that a surgeon has to have consent with the patient and make him or her understand that the operation is important for their health to improve. After discussing with the patient, various activities such as scheduling of the operation and pre-operation tests take place. After relevant requirements have been met, the operation takes place and the patient is left to heal depending on the instructions given by the surgeons.
A surgeon is one of the most serious professions in the society for saving people. Surgeon treated through surgical intervention using specialized tools and equipment. Often the patient undergoing surgery during general anesthesia. The surgeon can specialize in a particular part of the human body; there are orthopedics, neurosurgery surgery and ear, nose and throat and plastic surgery as well as other surgical specialties. There is several types’ surgery: Surgery Elective to correct a medical condition, not threatening patient 's life, Emergency Surgery to save the patient 's life, open surgery, scope surgery, electro surgery, laser surgery, ultrasonic scalpels, Shock waves. Surgeon of disciplines important in medicine is a profession practiced by humanity and lead morally senior role because this profession needs tenderness, kindness and diligence, honesty and good
Primary care – this refers to work of health professionals who act as first point of consultation within the system. Depending on the surroundings, health system organization, and sometimes at the patient's choice, they may consult another health care professional