Glossary

Anaesthetists

Anaesthetists are specialist medical doctors trained to administer anaesthesia and manage the care of patients before, during and after surgery.

Anaesthesia administered may be general, regional or local. Some anaesthetists specialize in management of pain, whilst some others may specialize in intensive care.

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Cardiologists

Cardiologists are medical specialists who deal with disorders of the heart and blood vessels.

They treat coronary artery disease, heart failure, vulvular heart disease, hypertension, arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) and congenital heart defects.

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Cardiothoracic Surgeons

Cardiothoracic surgeons are specialist surgeons who perform surgery to the heart, thorax (lungs and other thoracic organs) and great blood vessels.

Cardiothoracic surgeons perform surgery to correct/treat the following: valve stenosis, vessel insufficiency, coronary artery disease, congenital heart/vessel defects.  They also replace heart valves, repair aortic aneurysms, implant defibrillators and pacemakers, perform heart bypasses and heart transplants.

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Dermatologists

Dermatologists are medical specialists who treat different kinds of skin disorders, ranging from diseases of the skin (eg. psoriasis, eczema) to cosmetic defects of the skin (eg. birthmarks, wrinkles, scars).

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Endocrinologists

Endocrinologists are doctors who specialize in treating disorders of the endocrine system, such as diabetes, hypo and hyperthyroidism, adrenal gland and pituitary gland disorders.

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Gastroenterologists

Gastroenterologists are physicians who specialize in disorders of the digestive system. They treat and manage conditions such as gastritis, peptic ulcers, irritable bowel disease, hepatitis and other liver conditions to name a few.

Gastroenterologists are able to perform endoscopy to diagnose specific conditions before appropriate medical treatment is started.

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General Surgeons

General surgeons perform surgery mainly to the abdominal organs (eg. the intestines, pancreas, liver and biliary tract).

Some also perform surgery to the breast and head and neck region. With increasing sub-specialization, main have branched into the the sub-specialized fields of: breast surgery, vascular surgery, colorectal surgery and hepatobiliary surgery.

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Geriatricians

Geriatricians are medical specialists who focus on health care of the elderly. They aim to promote health as well as prevent and treat diseases and disabilities in the elderly. Many problems in geriatrics fall into the so-called big four: (i) intellectual impairment/confusion, (ii) immobility, (iii) instability (falls) and (iv) incontinence.

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Hand Surgeons

Hand surgeons are specialist surgeons who treat conditions of the hand through both surgical and non-surgical means.

Hand surgeons perform a wide variety of operations such as tendon-releases, fracture repairs and transfer/repair of tendons. They also perform microsurgical reattachment of amputated digits and limbs, nerve reconstruction and re-attachment

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Haematologists

Haematologists are specialists physicians who manage and treat patients with haematological (ie blood) diseases. Haematology is separate from, but does overlap with the subspecialty of medical oncology. Haematologists treat conditions such as anaemia, bleeding disorders, blood malignancies etc.

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Internal Medicine Physicians

Internal Medicine Physicians are specialist doctors who focus on the treatment, management and prevention of adult, non-surgical diseases.

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Infectious Disease Physicians

An infectious disease physician is a specialist doctor who is an expert in the field of diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases.

Infectious disease physicians have extensive training in managing and treating infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. These physicians also specialize in treating patients with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus causing AIDS.

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Medical Oncologists

Medical Oncologists are specialist doctors who specialize in the management of cancer. They focus on the diagnosis of cancer, its therapy, follow-up as well as palliative care.

Oncologists are also involved in screening efforts, of the population at large, and of patients with high cancer risk (eg. in types of cancer that are thought to have a hereditary basis, such as breast cancer).

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Neurologists

Neurologists are specialist doctors who deal with disorders of the neurological system. They diagnose and treat conditions such as strokes, epilepsy, altered mental states, headaches and movement disorders.

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Neurosurgeons

Neurosurgeons are specialist surgeons who focus on treating brain and spinal column diseases amenable to surgical intervention.

Modern neurosurgery has greatly benefited from advances in microsurgery and imaging techniques (eg. CT, MRI, PET, MEG) and the development of stereotactic surgery. Recent advances have been radiosurgery using the Gamma knife.

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O&G Specialists

Obstetricians & Gynaecologists are surgical specialists who deal with the care of women and their children during pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal periods (obstetrics), as well as with the health of the femalere productive system (gynaecology).

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Ophthalmologists

Ophthalmologists are specialist surgeons who deal with the diseases that affect the visual pathways. These visual pathways include the eyes, the eye lashes, and structures surrounding the eyes, such as the lacrimal system and eyelids.

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Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons

Oral & maxillofacial surgeons are specialist surgeons who correct a wide pectrum of diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws, hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillo-facial region.

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Orthopaedic Surgeons

Orthopaedic surgeons are specialist surgeons who diagnose, treat and help prevent injuries and diseases affecting the musculoskeletal system (ie. the spine, pelvis and extremities).

Surgical repair or correction are done by orthopaedic surgeons to the bone, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves that constitute the musculoskeletal system.

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Otorhinolaryngologists (ENT Surgeons)

Ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeons are specialist surgeons who diagnose and treat ear, nose, throat and head and neck disorders.

Sub-specialists within the field of ENT include rhinologists (ie. nose specialist), otologists (ie. ear specialist) , laryngologists (ie. throat specialist), as well as those who specialize in reconstructive surgery, facial plastic surgery, sleep disorders, pediatric ENT, and cancers of the head and neck.

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Paediatricians

Paediatricians are specialist doctors who deal with the medical care of infants, children and adolescents.

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Paediatric Surgeons

Paediatric surgery is a sub-specialty of surgery involving surgery of fetuses, infants, children and adolescents. Sub-specialization within the field include neonatal and fetal surgery, paediatric cardiothoracic surgery, nephrology, neurosurgery and urology.

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Plastic Surgeons

Plastic surgeons are specialist surgeons who are concerned with surgery to restore form and function. Plastic Surgery comprises Aesthetic (cosmetic) Surgery as well as Reconstructive Surgery.

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Psychiatrists

Psychiatrists are specialist physicians who treat mental disorders. Within the field of psychiatry, there is sub-specialization into: addiction psychiatry, adult, children and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, learning disability, neuropsychiatry etc.

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Renal Physicians (Nephrologists)

Renal physicians are internal medicine physicians who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases.

Renal physicians commonly treat conditions such as acute kidney disease, end-stage renal failure, acid-base disorders, electrolyte imbalances and hypertension. They also care for those requiring dialysis and coordinate with the transplant team should a renal transplant be required.

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Respiratory Physicians

Respiratory physicians are  doctors who specialize in the diagnosis and management of diseases that affect the lung and respiratory tract.

Respiratory physicians manage conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, infections of the respiratory system, lung cancer, pneumothorax and sleep apnoea.

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Rheumatologists

Rheumatologists are internal physicians who specialize in the diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases.

Rheumatologists deal with conditions involving the joints, soft tissues and associated conditions of the connective tissues. Many also treat immunological disorders, as many rheumatological diseases have an autoimmune pathology.

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Urologists

Urologists are specialist surgeons who deal with conditions of the urinary tract of both males and females, as well as conditions affecting the reproductive system of males.

Urologists commonly treat renal stones, benign prostatic hypertrophy, cancers of the urinary tract, erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence etc.

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