Patient

From Free net encyclopedia

For the state of being, see Patience. For semantics, see Patient (grammar).

A patient is any person who receives medical attention, care, or treatment [1]. The person is most often ill or injured and is being treated by, or in need of treatment by, a physician or other medical professional. Health consumer or health care consumer is another name for patient, usually used by some governmental agencies, insurance companies, and/or patient groups. An invalid may be completely incapacitated by their illness.

The word patient is derived from the Latin word patiens, the present participle of the deponent verb pati, meaning "to endure" or "to suffer".

Patient is also the adjective from of patience. Both senses of the word share a common origin.

See also

• Medicine
• Patient empowerment
• Patients' Bill of Rights (US)
• Casualty (person)

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