What is health care and who gives it?
Health care means preventing illness, finding out what is wrong (diagnosis), treating it and helping people recover. It happens at three levels: primary (family doctor, local clinic, community health worker), secondary (hospital specialists) and tertiary (very specialised centres). Welfare services such as elderly care, disability support and child welfare work beside it.
The care team includes doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, lab technicians, paramedics and community health workers. All of them follow ethics: respect the patient, ask for consent, keep information confidential and treat everyone fairly.
Health care terminology
Medical words look hard, but they are built like LEGO from three parts:
- Root: the body part. cardi = heart, gastr = stomach, derm = skin, neur = nerve, oste = bone.
- Prefix (front): hyper- = too high, hypo- = too low, brady- = slow, tachy- = fast.
- Suffix (end): -itis = swelling, -ology = study of, -ectomy = cutting out, -scope = tool to look.
So gastritis = swollen stomach lining and tachycardia = fast heart. Common short forms: BP (blood pressure), HR (heart rate), SpO₂ (oxygen in blood), Rx (prescription).
Vital signs and instruments
| Vital sign | Healthy adult | How |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 36.5–37.5 °C | Digital thermometer (mouth, ear, armpit, forehead) |
| Pulse | 60–100 beats/min | Two fingers on the wrist (radial pulse); count 15 s × 4 |
| Respiration | 12–20 breaths/min | Watch the chest rise without telling the person |
| Blood pressure | below 120/80 mmHg | BP cuff (sphygmomanometer) + stethoscope, or digital monitor |
Children have faster pulse and breathing than adults. Many clinics also measure oxygen saturation (SpO₂, normal 95–100%) and pain (0–10 scale). Other equipment: glucometer, weighing scale, height rod, gloves, masks, syringes and sharps boxes. Clean and check equipment before use.
Care skills, communication and records
Infection control
Hand hygiene before and after touching a patient, gloves and masks (PPE) when needed, safe disposal of sharps, and cleaning surfaces. Wash hands with soap for at least 20 seconds.
Basic procedures
Helping a person move safely, simple first aid, and calling for help early. Always follow trained procedures and never go beyond your training.
Communication and documentation
Listen actively, use plain words, check understanding. To hand over a patient, many teams use SBAR: Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation. Write records that are accurate, dated, timed and signed; if it is not written, it was not done. Keep records private.
Lifestyle choices
Balanced diet, about 60 minutes of activity a day for teenagers, 8–10 hours of sleep, no tobacco, limited sugar and salt, and caring for mental health all lower the risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
Key formulas and definitions
- Pulse (beats/min) = beats counted in 15 s × 4
- °F = °C × 9/5 + 32
- BP = systolic / diastolic (mmHg)
- TPR + BP = the four vital signs
- Healthy adult: 37 °C, 60–100 /min, 12–20 breaths/min, < 120/80
- Word = prefix + root + suffix
- SBAR = Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation
Worked examples
1. A nurse counts 19 beats in 15 seconds. What is the pulse and is it normal for an adult?
19 × 4 = 76 beats per minute. This is inside 60–100, so it is normal.
2. A child's temperature is 38.6 °C. What is it in °F and what does it mean?
38.6 × 9/5 + 32 = 101.5 °F. It is above 38 °C, so the child has a fever.
3. Break down the word "bradycardia".
brady- = slow, cardi = heart, -ia = condition. So it means a slow heart rate (under 60 per minute in an adult).
4. A reading is 145/92 mmHg. How is it written and what should happen next?
Systolic 145, diastolic 92. Both are in the high range, so the reading is repeated after rest and the person is advised to see a doctor.
Common mistakes
- Counting the pulse with the thumb: the thumb has its own pulse, so use two fingers.
- Telling a person you are counting their breathing: they change it without meaning to.
- Mixing up the two BP numbers: the top (bigger) one is systolic.
- Thinking gloves replace hand washing: clean hands before and after gloves too.