Diagnostic specialties
Clinical laboratory sciences are the clinical diagnostic services which apply laboratory techniques to diagnosis and management of patients. In the United States these services are supervised by a pathologist. The personnel that work in these medical laboratory departments are technically trained staff who do not hold medical degrees but who usually hold an undergraduate medical technology degree who actually perform the tests assays and procedures needed for providing the specific services. Subspecialties include Transfusion medicine Cellular pathology Clinical chemistry Hematology Clinical microbiology and Clinical immunology.
Pathology as a medical specialty is the branch of medicine that deals with the study of diseases and the morphologic physiologic changes produced by them. As a diagnostic specialty pathology can be considered the basis of modern scientific medical knowledge and plays a large role in evidencebased medicine. Many modern molecular tests such as flow cytometry polymerase chain reaction PCR immunohistochemistry cytogenetics gene rearragements studies and fluorescent in situ hybridization FISH fall within the territory of pathology.
Radiology is concerned with imaging of the human body e.g. by xrays xray computed tomography ultrasonography and nuclear magnetic resonance tomography. Clinical neurophysiology is concerned with testing the physiology or function of the central and peripheral aspects of the nervous system. These kinds of tests can be divided into recordings of spontaneous or continuously running electrical activity or stimulus evoked responses. Subspecialities include Electroencephalography Electromyography Evoked potential Nerve conduction study and Polysomnography. Sometimes these tests are performed by techs without a medical degree but the interpretation of these tests is done by a medical professional.
Other
Following are some selected fields of medical specialties that dont directly fit into any of the above mentioned groups.
Ophthalmology exclusively concerned with the eye and ocular adnexa. Combines conservative and surgical therapy and has its own College.
Dermatology is concerned with the skin and its diseases. In the UK dermatology is a subspeciality of general medicine.
Emergency medicine is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of acute or lifethreatening conditions including trauma surgical medical pediatric and psychiatric emergencies. Obstetrics and gynaecology often abbreviated as ObGyn are concerned respectively with childbirth and the female reproductive and associated organs. Reproductive medicine and fertility medicine are generally practiced by gynecological specialists.
Palliative care is a relatively modern branch of clinical medicine that deals with pain and symptom relief and emotional support in patients with terminal illnesses including cancer and heart failure.
