Healthcare is a broad term used to describe the various systems we as humans rely upon to help us maintain our personal health through the treatment (or prevention) of illness, injury, disease, and other physical or mental impairments.
Healthcare encompasses medical doctors and hospitals and dentistry, psychology, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and more.
Nationwide healthcare systems take many forms, and access to healthcare varies across countries, municipalities, and individuals and is primarily influenced by economic and social factors.
Access to healthcare is seen as a fundamental human right by many people and governments. People who lack quality healthcare are often left with a poorer quality of life and lower life expectancy than people who enjoy a stable, accessible, and affordable healthcare system. Countries with efficient and effective health care systems have overall better health outcomes than countries whose health care systems lag.
The quality of healthcare is determined by considering a wide range of factors, including the care process (preventative care measures, safe care, coordinated care, and engagement and patient preferences), access (affordability and timeliness), administrative efficiency, equity, and healthcare outcomes (population health, mortality amenable to healthcare, and disease-specific health outcomes).
