Healthcare science
Encyclopedia
Healthcare science is the applied science
dealing with the application of science, technology, engineering or mathematics to the delivery of healthcare.
Healthcare scientists are those scientists directly involved in delivering the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of patients in healthcare systems, rather than those individuals whose primary focus is on academic research.
Healthcare science stretches across a wide range of scientific specialisms, encompassing biology
, genetics
, physiology
, physics
and bioengineering
. While people working in healthcare science are only 5% of the staff of the NHS, 80 percent of all diagnosis can be attributed to their work.
The volume of specialist healthcare science work is a significant part of the work of the NHS. Every year, NHS healthcare scientists carry out
The four governments of the UK have recognised the importance of healthcare science to the NHS, introducing the Modernising Scientific Careers
initiative to ensure that the education and training for healthcare scientists ensures there is the flexibility to meet patient needs while keeping up-to-date with scientific developments.
Applied science
Applied science is the application of scientific knowledge transferred into a physical environment. Examples include testing a theoretical model through the use of formal science or solving a practical problem through the use of natural science....
dealing with the application of science, technology, engineering or mathematics to the delivery of healthcare.
Healthcare scientists are those scientists directly involved in delivering the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of patients in healthcare systems, rather than those individuals whose primary focus is on academic research.
Healthcare science stretches across a wide range of scientific specialisms, encompassing biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
, physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
, physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and bioengineering
Healthcare science in the UK
The healthcare science workforce is an important part of the UK's National Health ServiceNational Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
. While people working in healthcare science are only 5% of the staff of the NHS, 80 percent of all diagnosis can be attributed to their work.
The volume of specialist healthcare science work is a significant part of the work of the NHS. Every year, NHS healthcare scientists carry out
- Nearly 1 billion pathology lab tests
- More than 12 million physiological tests
- support for 1.5 million fractions of radiotherapy
The four governments of the UK have recognised the importance of healthcare science to the NHS, introducing the Modernising Scientific Careers
Modernising Scientific Careers
Modernising Scientific Careers , led by the Chief Scientific Officer, is UK-wide government initiative to address the training and education needs of the whole healthcare science workforce in the National Health Service...
initiative to ensure that the education and training for healthcare scientists ensures there is the flexibility to meet patient needs while keeping up-to-date with scientific developments.
Roles within healthcare science
There are at least 45 different specialisms within healthcare science, which are traditionally grouped into three main divisions:- Specialisms involving life sciencesLife sciencesThe life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, like plants, animals, and human beings. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of...
- Specialisms involving physiological scienceHuman physiologyHuman physiology is the science of the mechanical, physical, bioelectrical, and biochemical functions of humans in good health, their organs, and the cells of which they are composed. Physiology focuses principally at the level of organs and systems...
- Specialisms involving physicsMedical physicsMedical physics is the application of physics to medicine. It generally concerns physics as applied to medical imaging and radiotherapy, although a medical physicist may also work in many other areas of healthcare...
or bioengineering
Life sciences specialisms
- Analytical toxicologyToxicologyToxicology is a branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms...
- Anatomical pathologyPathologyPathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
- Blood transfusionBlood transfusionBlood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood...
science - Cervical cytologyCytopathologyCytopathology is a branch of pathology that studies and diagnoses diseases on the cellular level. The discipline was founded by Rudolf Virchow in 1858. A common application of cytopathology is the Pap smear, used as a screening tool, to detect precancerous cervical lesions and prevent cervical...
- Clinical biochemistryBiochemistryBiochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
- Clinical embryologyEmbryologyEmbryology is a science which is about the development of an embryo from the fertilization of the ovum to the fetus stage...
- Clinical immunologyImmunologyImmunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...
- Electron microscopy
- External quality assuranceQuality AssuranceQuality assurance, or QA for short, is the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service or facility to maximize the probability that minimum standards of quality are being attained by the production process...
- Haematology
- Haemostasis and thrombosisThrombosisThrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel is injured, the body uses platelets and fibrin to form a blood clot to prevent blood loss...
- HistocompatibilityHistocompatibilityHistocompatibility is the property of having the same, or mostly the same, alleles of a set of genes called the major histocompatibility complex. These genes are expressed in most tissues as antigens, to which the immune system makes antibodies...
and immunogeneticsImmunogeneticsImmunogenetics is the branch of medical research that explores the relationship between the immune system and genetics.Autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, are complex genetic traits which result from defects in the immune system. Identification of genes defining the immune defects may... - HistoHistopathologyHistopathology refers to the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations of disease...
and cytopathologyCytopathologyCytopathology is a branch of pathology that studies and diagnoses diseases on the cellular level. The discipline was founded by Rudolf Virchow in 1858. A common application of cytopathology is the Pap smear, used as a screening tool, to detect precancerous cervical lesions and prevent cervical... - MolecularMolecular geneticsMolecular genetics is the field of biology and genetics that studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level. The field studies how the genes are transferred from generation to generation. Molecular genetics employs the methods of genetics and molecular biology...
and cytogeneticsCytogeneticsCytogenetics is a branch of genetics that is concerned with the study of the structure and function of the cell, especially the chromosomes. It includes routine analysis of G-Banded chromosomes, other cytogenetic banding techniques, as well as molecular cytogenetics such as fluorescent in situ... - MicrobiologyMicrobiologyMicrobiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
including mycologyMycologyMycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans as a source for tinder, medicinals , food and entheogens, as well as their dangers, such as poisoning or... - PhlebotomyPhlebotomyPhlebotomy is the process of making an incision in a vein.It is associated with the following concepts:* Venipuncture, the practice of collecting venous blood samples* The main practice of a phlebotomist, an individual trained to draw blood...
- Tissue BankingTissue bankA Tissue Bank, as used in this article, is a term most commonly used to describe an establishment that collects and harvests human cadaver tissue for the purposes of medical research and education....
/transplantOrgan transplantOrgan transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be... - VirologyVirologyVirology is the study of viruses and virus-like agents: their structure, classification and evolution, their ways to infect and exploit cells for virus reproduction, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their use in research and therapy...
Physiological science specialisms
- Audiology and Hearing TherapyAudiologyAudiology is the branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Its practitioners, who treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage are audiologists. Employing various testing strategies Audiology (from Latin , "to hear"; and from Greek , -logia) is...
- Autonomic neurovascular function
- Cardiac physiology
- Clinical perfusionPerfusionistA perfusionist, also known as a clinical perfusionist or a cardiovascular perfusionist, is a specialized health professional who operates the heart-lung machine during cardiac surgery and other surgeries that require cardiopulmonary bypass....
- Critical care science
- Gastrointestinal physiologyGastrointestinal physiologyGastrointestinal physiology is a branch of human physiology addressing the physical function of the gastrointestinal system. The major processes occurring in the GI system are that of motility, secretion, regulation, digestion and circulation...
- NeurophysiologyNeurophysiologyNeurophysiology is a part of physiology. Neurophysiology is the study of nervous system function...
- Opthalmic and vision scienceVision scienceVision science is the science dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of visual perception and the visual system. Vision scientists study various aspects of vision from the perspectives of cognitive psychology, neuroscience, computer science, psychophysics, and ophthalmology.- See also :* Visual...
- Respiratory and sleep physiologyRespiratory physiologyRespiratory physiology is the branch of human physiology focusing upon respiration.Topics include:-Volumes:* lung volumes* vital capacity* functional residual capacity* dead space* spirometry* body plethysmography* peak flow meter-Mechanics:...
- and urological measurementUrologyUrology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...
- Vascular scienceVascular diseaseVascular disease is a form of cardiovascular disease primarily affecting the blood vessels.Some conditions, such as angina and myocardial ischemia, can be considered both vascular diseases and heart diseases .Cigarette smoking is the major risk factor....
Physics and bioengineering specialisms
- Biomechanical engineeringBiomechanical engineeringBiomechanical Engineering is a bioengineering subdiscipline which applies principles of mechanical engineering to biological systems and stems from the scientific discipline of biomechanics. Many cases are related to Biomedical engineering and Agricultural engineering.- Research Groups:...
- Clinical engineeringClinical engineeringClinical engineering is a specialty within Biomedical engineering responsible primarily for applying and implementing medical technology to optimize healthcare delivery...
- Clinical measurement
- Diagnostic radiology including MRI
- Equipment management
- Maxillofacial prosthetics
- Medical electronics
- Medical engineering design
- Medical illustration and clinical photography
- Non-ionising radiation
- Nuclear medicineNuclear medicineIn nuclear medicine procedures, elemental radionuclides are combined with other elements to form chemical compounds, or else combined with existing pharmaceutical compounds, to form radiopharmaceuticals. These radiopharmaceuticals, once administered to the patient, can localize to specific organs...
- RadiopharmacyNuclear pharmacyNuclear Pharmacy involves the preparation of radioactive materials that will be used to diagnose and treat specific diseases. It was the first pharmacy specialty established in 1978 by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties...
- Radiation protection and monitoring
- Radiotherapy physics
- Rehabilitation engineeringRehabilitation engineeringRehabilitation engineering is the systematic application of engineering sciences to design, develop, adapt, test, evaluate, apply, and distribute technological solutions to problems confronted by individuals with disabilities...
- Renal technology and scienceDialysisIn medicine, dialysis is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood, and is primarily used to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function in people with renal failure...
- UltrasoundUltrasoundUltrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is thus not separated from "normal" sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is...
See also
- Medical diagnosisMedical diagnosisMedical diagnosis refers both to the process of attempting to determine or identify a possible disease or disorder , and to the opinion reached by this process...
- Medical laboratoryMedical laboratoryA medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are done on clinical specimens in order to get information about the health of a patient as pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.-Departments:...
- Academic health science centreAcademic health science centreAn academic health science centre is a partnership between one or more universities and healthcare providers focusing on research, clinical services, education and training...
- Biomedical researchBiomedical researchBiomedical research , in general simply known as medical research, is the basic research, applied research, or translational research conducted to aid and support the body of knowledge in the field of medicine...
- Biomedical technologyBiomedical technologyBiomedical technology broadly refers to the application of engineering and technology principles to the domain of living or biological systems. Usually inclusion of the term biomedical denotes a principal emphasis on problems related to human health and diseases, whereas terms like "biotechnology"...
- Health careHealth careHealth care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
- Public healthPublic healthPublic health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
- Publicly-funded health carePublicly-funded health carePublicly funded health care is a form of health care financing designed to meet the cost of all or most health care needs from a publicly managed fund. Usually this is under some form of democratic accountability, the right of access to which are set down in rules applying to the whole population...