This is a medical institution, which provides medical assistance to incoming patients and patients who are at home. Institutions of outpatient type include: polyclinics, ambulatories, dispensaries, medical-sanitary units and ambulance stations.
Polyclinicis a multifield health care facility working on territorial-local principle. The territory assigned to the clinic is divided into sections with a certain number of adult and child populations. Each parcel is served by fixed doctors and nurses. Treatment-and-prophylactic work is organized by local doctor; he directs nurses and attracts specialists of different profile. The polyclinic provides medical care to the population, including special aid, and, if necessary, observation and treatment at home.
The polyclinic is provided with the necessary equipment for examination ant treatment of patients. All outpatient institutions have three groups of premises: for registrations and expectations of the appointment, medical and diagnostic premises, service and household purposed rooms. Doctors of different profiles provide an appointment in polyclinics (therapeutics, surgeons, ophthalmologists, otolaryngologists, endocrinologists, cardiologists and others). The clinic has basic diagnostic rooms: x-ray, ultrasound, functional diagnostics, clinical and biochemical laboratories, as well as classrooms and offices for conducting medical procedures and doctor`s prescriptions (procedural or dressings, physiotherapy department, physiotherapy room and others).
The registry is placed near the entrance. It also provides a pointer of rooms and specialists schedule of appointment for patients. Hallway of the clinic and waiting rooms have tables with literature (brochures), introducing patients with diseases prevention. From the waiting room the patient goes in the office of the physician or dressing room, procedure unit and other medical rooms. Doctor`s office should have everything necessary for work: desk for the doctor and nurses, chairs, couch, hot and cold water, towel, smock, tonometer, phonendoscope, prescription forms and other).
Ambulatoryis a health care facility which serves to assist the population of a small urban village, industrial enterprise or rural area in the district and territorial characteristic. There are only doctors of the main specialties in ambulatory: therapeutic, surgeon, dentist. Staff of ambulatory besides doctor has medical assistants, midwives, nurses and hospital cleaners. Ambulatory has the following rooms: pre-doctor admission, electrocardiographic examinations and procedure unit. The principle of work is the same as the polyclinic`s.
Obstetric and medical assistant`s pointis a health care facility providing pre-doctor medical care in rural areas. It is organized if the town is situated at a great distance from other hospital (more than 4-6 km). It works using district principle. There is a pharmacy for official medicines sale.
The staff includes a medical assistant, a midwife and hospital cleaner. The staff of medical assistant and obstetric point provides medical outpatient care and home care, emergency and first aid, identifies infectious patients, carries out anti-epidemic measures, health surveillance at settlement for public catering and the food trade. The medical assistant performs routine medical examinations, medical examinations of the population and preventive measures. The midwife provides care for women during pregnancy and childbirth, performs nursing of puerperant and children up to 3 years.
Medical sanitary department (MSD)is health care facility of outpatient type, organized at industrial plants to care for workers and their families, serves workers of attached company on the principle of system shop floor physicians. In MSD, as in polyclinics, doctors of major specialties and specialists in professional pathology work.
MSD is a comprehensive health care facility, which, besides polyclinics, may include hospitals and health centers, dispensaries, sanatoriums, children`s health camps and other.
Objective of MSD is first aid, prevention of diseases associated with the working conditions, and treatment of patients. Precinct (shop) doctors and nurses study the working conditions of workers and employees at the workplace, identify occupational hazards and participate in the development of a set of preventive measures aimed at improving working conditions and life of the employees, prevention of industrial injuries.
Health centeris usually part of polyclinic or medicosanitary department of company and is not an independent health facilities. The health centers are organized in larger shops, close to work or construction site. There are medical and medical assistant health centers.
The main function of the medical staff of the health center (doctor, medical assistant, nurse) is administering pre-doctor and first aid for employees in case of injuries, poisoning, emergency conditions and carrying out procedures prescribed by a doctor of polyclinic or MSD (injections, bandaging), vaccination, clinical examination and health education.
Dispensaryis special specialized facility of outpatient type, carrying out all the work of the dispensary method (maintenance of patients with certain types of diseases). There are psychoneurologic, narcologic, dermatoveneral, anti-tuberculosis, oncological, cardioreumatologic and endocrinology dispensaries.
The main function of dispensaries is treatment and prevention of diseases of one specific kind. For example, a tuberculosis dispensary engaged in the treatment of TB patients, TB prevention among persons surrounding the patient at home and at work, mass screening of the population for early detection of TB, prevention of disease by vaccination, etc. Thereafter oncology dispensary engaged in treatment and prevention of malignant tumors, etc.
Ambulance stationis a health care facility designed for round the clock emergency medical care to patients in the prehospital stage at all life threating conditions (trauma, injury, poisoning, bleeding, stroke and other diseases) and also in childbirth.
Specialized medical care is carried out by team headed by a physician, physician`s assistant (nurse), which assists the physician in providing medical care at home and transportation of patients.
The ambulance stations must be provided by direct operative communication with ambulance substations, hospitals, fire service of medical-sanitary vehicles on line.