page_title: Ambulatory care
section_title: Settings
hierarchical_section_title: Ambulatory care / Settings
caption_attribution_description: English: A typical examination room in a doctor's office.
context_page_description: Ambulatory care or outpatient care is medical care provided on an outpatient basis, including diagnosis, observation, consultation, treatment, intervention, and rehabilitation services. This care can include advanced medical technology and procedures even when provided outside of hospitals.
  Ambulatory care sensitive conditions are health conditions where appropriate ambulatory care prevents or reduces the need for hospital admission, such as diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
  Many medical investigations and treatments for acute and chronic illnesses and preventive health care can be performed on an ambulatory basis, including minor surgical and medical procedures, most types of dental services, dermatology services, and many types of diagnostic procedures. Other types of ambulatory care services include emergency visits, rehabilitation visits, and in some cases telephone consultations.
  Ambulatory care services represent the most significant contributor to increasing hospital expenditures and to the performance of the health care system in most countries, including most developing countries.
context_section_description: Health care organizations use different ways to define the nature of care provided as "ambulatory" versus inpatient or other types of care.
  Sites where ambulatory care can be delivered include:
  Doctor's surgeries (known as doctor's offices in American English): This is the most common site for the delivery of ambulatory care in many countries, and usually consists of a physician's visit.  Physicians of many specialties deliver ambulatory care, including specialists in family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics, gynaecology, cardiology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, ophthalmology, and dermatology.
  Clinics: Including ambulatory care clinics, polyclinics, ambulatory surgery centers, and urgent care centers.
  In the United States, the Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA)  estimates that over 15,000 urgent care centers deliver urgent care services.  These centers are designed to evaluate and treat conditions that are not severe enough to require treatment in a hospital emergency department but still require treatment beyond normal physician office hours or before a physician appointment is available.
  In Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union, Feldsher health stations are the main site for ambulatory care in rural areas.
  Hospitals: Including emergency departments and other hospital-based services such as same day surgery services and mental health services.
  Hospital emergency departments: Some visits to emergency departments result in hospital admission, so these would be considered emergency medicine visits rather than ambulatory care.  Most visits to hospital emergency departments, however, do not require hospital admission.
  Non-medical institution-based settings: Including school and prison health; vision, dental and pharmaceutical care.
  Non-institution settings: For example, mass childhood immunization campaigns using community health workers.
  Telematic: The telemedicine-based follow-up, has proven to be feasible and safe for the evaluation of early postoperative complications. Patients reported high levels of satisfaction with the procedure. Telemedicine-based follow-up could become standard practice with the development of a specific mobile application.
caption: An examination room in a doctor's office.
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