All definitions

medical practitioner

A medical practitioner is commonly referred to as a doctor. Medical practitioners are health practitioners who are registered with the Medical Council of New Zealand as practitioners of the profession of medicine and hold a current practising certificate.

All medical practitioners have a unique identifying number called a Health Practitioners Index number (HPI number).

Medical practitioners don't need to have completed their training in New Zealand but must be registered with the New Zealand Medical Council and hold a current practising certificate.

A medical practitioner is a person trained to understand the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Specialists concentrate on certain body organ systems, specific age groups, or on complex scientific techniques developed to diagnose or treat certain types of disorders (for example an oncologist treats cancer). General practitioners are specialists in primary care, and usually work in the community as opposed to in hospital settings.

Examples of medical practitioners can include:

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An allergist/immunologist is a medical specialist with expertise in the evaluation, physical and laboratory diagnosis, and management of disorders potentially involving the immune system.

Selected examples of such conditions include asthma, anaphylaxis, eczema and adverse reactions to drugs, foods, and insect stings as well as immune deficiency diseases (both acquired and congenital).

An ophthalmologist is medical specialist who deals with the diseases and surgery of the visual pathways, including the eye, brain, and areas surrounding the eye.

A paediatrician is a medical practitioner who is concerned with the physical, emotional and social health of children from birth to young adulthood (about 16 years old).

A neurologist is a medical specialist concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease or impaired function of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, muscles, and automatic nervous system, and the blood vessels that relate to these structures.

A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who has general training in all areas of medicine, including psychiatry. General practitioners manage your general health care.

A psychiatrist is a medical specialist who specialises in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, addictive, and emotional disorders (for example, psychoses, depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse disorders, developmental disabilities, sexual dysfunctions and adjustment reactions).

They understand the biological, psychological and social components of illness, and can prescribe medications, as well as evaluate and treat psychological and interpersonal problems.

An addiction medicine specialist is a medical practitioner who focuses on the evaluation and treatment of individuals with alcohol, drug or other substance-related disorders and of individuals with the dual diagnosis of substance related and other psychiatric disorders.

A health practitioner is a person who is registered with an authority as a practitioner of a particular health profession under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003. All health practitioners have a unique identifying number called a Health Practitioners Index number (HPI number).

MSD may require information from a registered health practitioner to help determine a person's eligibility for some types of financial assistance.

Note unless specifically mentioned otherwise, most medical ...

A dermatologist is a medical practitioner who has expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancers, melanomas, moles and other tumours of the skin, contact dermatitis, and other allergic and non allergic disorders, and in the recognition of the skin manifestations of systemic and infectious diseases.

An oncologist is a medial practitioner who specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of all types of cancer and other benign and malignant tumours.

A general surgeon is a medical specialist prepared to manage a broad spectrum of surgical conditions affecting almost any area of the body.