A clinic is a healthcare facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privatelyoperated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary healthcare needs ofpopulations in local communities, in contrast to larger hospitals which offer specialised treatments andadmit inpatients for overnight stays. Most commonly, the word clinic in English refers to a generalmedical practice, run by one or more general practitioners, but it can also mean a specialist clinic. Someclinics retain the name "clinic" even while growing into institutions as large as major hospitals orbecoming associated with a hospital or medical school. Modern scientific medicine is highly developedin the Western world, while in developing countries such as parts of Africa or Asia, the population mayrely more heavily on traditional medicine with limited evidence and efficacy and no required formaltraining for practitioners. In modern clinical practice, physicians personally assess patients in order todiagnose, treat, and prevent disease using clinical judgment. The doctor-patient relationship typicallybegins an interaction with an examination of the patient’s medical history and medical record, followedby a medical interview and a physical examination.
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