The Circle of Care: Understanding Who Is Involved In The Care Process And How They Help

There are professionals across all health fields that are able to provide expert services to aid the care process of a patient. Referred to as the circle of care, these individuals provide expertise to treat all aspects of a patient’s life. Extending beyond medical expertise, the circle of care also includes members of a patient’s family, friends, and even community members. Each part of the care circle plays an important role in the patient’s health and wellbeing.

The Physician

Although the name can refer to anybody who specializes in a field using expert knowledge and is supported by other expert peers, the common understanding of a doctor is of the medical variety. In this sense, a doctor is a person who specializes in understanding the various bodily conditions, what sort of influences can affect the body’s best health status, and what treatments can be applied to bring the body up to full health. It’s typically the doctor who can test the quality of the patient’s body, both outside and in, and can recommend medicine or changes in their habits. The doctor provides expert knowledge and helps the patient understand what they can do to be the best.

Nursing Staff

Where the doctor knows what to do to take care of a patient, it is often the nurse who actually manages day-to-day. The Nurse checks the status of a person and their body as they heal, either from injury or from the process of recovery. The nurse certainly contributes by ensuring the patient is receiving treatment well and recovering peacefully, but they also provide the benefit of companionship to the patient. Recovery can be a very lonely process sometimes, especially when the patient is isolated; and receiving regular visits from a nurse reminds them of what it means to be valued and cared for. It certainly helps the circle of care, because the patient feels cared for constantly thanks to the dedication of a quality nurse.

The Pharmacist

Everybody is different, and what can be the right amount of supplemental medicine for one large person could be an overdose for somebody smaller. Also, there are allergies to consider, as well as other medical conditions that could influence the efficacy of additives in the diet. The pharmacist helps to ensure that the doctor’s recommendations for how much medicine is taken are followed appropriately and measured out carefully for the needs of the body. They ensure that the care a certain body needs is that which arrives in their system.

Therapy Specialists

Medical professionals now understand that environmental stress on the mind can result in a lack of endorphins and energy produced by the body and mind. A healthy mind allows the patient to live their best life and aim for a higher standard of living. As such, a trained therapist can provide a patient with a focus on what struggles are being experienced by the mind, and advice, or possibly medical prescriptions, on what to do to balance their emotions. They help to ensure that nobody is ever left feeling as if the world is a problem that only they can face. Nobody ever has to be left alone.

Friends and Family

Just because loved ones are not healthcare professionals does not mean they are not an important part of the circle of care. Family members and friends bring support to patients in a way that the above healthcare professionals can not. They make sure that a patient’s day-to-day emotional health and needs are met, and that feelings of loneliness or fear in the hospital or at home can be abated. Many healthcare professionals agree that family and friends are just as important in the circle of care as the professionals who treat the patients. Healthcare professionals will often ask for loved ones to be involved with the consent of the patient.

The Circle Of Care Holds Us All

A patient today could be suffering from any number of ailments that interfere with living a healthy life. But a dedicated team of caregivers is the key to ensuring that all potential ailments are treated with the utmost consideration and love. A doctor can advise a patient on the care they need, and a nurse can provide that care with expertise. A pharmacist can ensure the wellbeing of the body, and a therapist can ensure the wellbeing of the mind. But no matter what approach a person takes to their wellbeing, there is a circle of care to ensure they are being helped from any direction. All these people are here to support the patient when they need it.

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