Efficacy and effectiveness of treatment.

We as physicians usually feel rewarded when our diagnostic hypothesis is confirmed. The answer to the quiz was correct. So the next step is to define the treatment, usually involving the prescription of appropriate medication. Naturally, after that we have the feeling that a good job has been done; but this is only almost correct. Although the diagnosis and the therapeutic are correct the most important aim is to improve the patient's health. Obviously to reach such an objective the diagnosis must be correct and the prescribed drug needs to have good efficacy, but the treatment must have effectiveness. Efficacy is treatment's defined as the treatment's effect under ideal conditions. In other words, usually the patient is in the hospital, under rigorous control and definitily receives the treatment as it should be applied. Effectiveness is defined as the treatment's effect in the real world of medical practice. The treatment is prescribed, the patient returns to his place of origin on his own. At this point the effect of the treatment is at many risks. The effectiveness of the treatment will depend on the access he has to, for instance, the drug. He needs to be to able to obtain it (the drug) or other type of treatment (usually requiring cash), also the patient needs to comply with the treatment. This aspect depends on many factors such as, confidence that the patient may have in the doctor who prescribed the treatment, the