- published: 27 Apr 2013
- views: 129568
A patient is any recipient of health care services. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, veterinarian, or other health care provider.
The word patient originally meant 'one who suffers'. This English noun comes from the Latin word patiens, the present participle of the deponent verb, patior, meaning 'I am suffering,' and akin to the Greek verb πάσχειν (= paskhein, to suffer) and its cognate noun πάθος (= pathos).
An outpatient (or out-patient) is a patient who is not hospitalized for 24 hours or more but who visits a hospital, clinic, or associated facility for diagnosis or treatment. Treatment provided in this fashion is called ambulatory care. Outpatient surgery eliminates inpatient hospital admission, reduces the amount of medication prescribed, and uses the physician's time more efficiently. More procedures are now being performed in a surgeon's office, termed office-based surgery, rather than in a hospital-based operating room. Outpatient surgery is suited best for healthy patients undergoing minor or intermediate procedures (limited urologic, ophthalmologic, or ear, nose, and throat procedures and procedures involving the extremities).
Priscilla Shirer, a speaker and author, has spent more than a decade addressing major corporations, organizations, and Christian audiences across the United States and around the world. Most recently Priscilla has focused on teaching the Bible to women through an expository teaching style.
The daughter of Dr. Tony Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas, Priscilla grew up well acquainted with the Bible. (1) As a freshman at the University of Houston, she interned with a Christian radio station. Soon listeners were calling the station, inviting Priscilla to speak at their Bible study groups and other events. (3) After graduation, Priscilla began her Master’s degree work at Dallas Theological Seminary. Soon she was invited to lead a weekly Bible study at the Zig Ziglar Corporation and then to join its speaker team. (1) Priscilla has worked as an independent contractor for CBS and hosted a local television show, but recently she has focused solely on Christian ministry opportunities. She calls Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of Evangelist, Dr. Billy Graham, her mentor in ministry.