A medical procedure is a particular course of action undertaken by a healthcare professional that is intended to achieve certain results. Medical procedures can be elective, such as
plastic surgery or
laser eye surgery. Other times, medical procedures are compulsory, ordered by
doctors to save lives. Such procedures include
kidney dialysis, organ transplantation, and many others.
Other medical procedures may include preventative screenings, such as
blood pressure analysis,
jaundice screening, and others. These procedures allow patients to monitor their bodies and help physicians determine if further treatment is necessary. Each time you visit a doctor or hospital, your personal health information is documented and saved. The rights of who and what entities have access to your
medical records can be confusing, but
knowing your privacy rights could save you a lot of hassle.
According to a study from the Institute of Medicine, as many as 98,000 patients die as a result of medical errors each year. Another study from Public Citizen, a non-profit consumer advocate group, reveals that
negligent healthcare professionals cause over 1.3 million medical injuries annually.
View sub-topics at right to learn more about some specific medical procedures and some of the more serious risks and adverse side effects associated with these procedures.
See Also
- Blood Donation & Other Transplantation
- Central Vein Catheterization: Overview
- Chelation Therapy: Overview
- Chorionic Villus Sampling
- Cytoplasmic Transfer: Overview
- Dialysis: Overview
- Epidural Anesthesia
- Eye Procedures
- General Anesthesia: Overview
- Getting Your Medical Records
- Heart Bypass: Overview
- In Vitro Fertilization: Overview
- Informed Consent: Overview
- Jaundice Screening
- Laparoscopy: Overview
- Lasik & Other Laser Eye Surgery
- Mammogram Errors
- Medical Malpractice & Negligent Care
- Ooplasmic Transfer: Overview
- Pap Smear Errors
- Plastic Surgery: Overview
- Radiation Therapy: Overview
- Right Heart Catheterization: Overview
- SD Plasma
- Transmyocardial Revascularization (TMR)
- VA-Sponsored Medical Experiments - Electrical Wires
- Wrong Site Surgery
- Blindness