Kitob ta'rifi

These are indeed very exciting times in medicine. Having made this statement, one’s thoughts immediately reflect about the major changes that are occurring in our overall healthcare deliver}' system, utilization-review and shortened hospitalizations, issues concerning quality assurance, ambulators surgical procedures and medical clear­ances. and the impact of managed care on the practice of internal med­icine and primary care. Each of these issues has had a considerable im­pact on the approach to the patient and on die practice of medicine.
But even more mind-boggling than the foregoing changes are die dramatic changes imposed on the practice of medicine by fun­damental conceptual scientific innovations engendered by advances in basic science that no doubt will affect medical practice of die im­mediate future. Indeed, much of what we thought of as having a po­tential impact on the practice of medicine of the future has already been perceived. One need only take a cursor}’ look at our weekly medical journals to realize that we are practicing “tomorrow's med­icine today.” And consider that the goal a few years ago of actually describing the human genome is now near reality.