Clínico

Clínico is a term used in Spanish and Portuguese with meanings tied to clinical medicine and patient care. As an adjective, it denotes anything related to the clinic, bedside evaluation, or clinical practice, and it is often contrasted with basic, laboratory, or preclinical research. As a noun, clínico can refer to a medical professional who treats patients—a clinician or physician. In some contexts, it is used interchangeably with médico or doctor, though it can emphasize the clinical, patient-facing aspect of care rather than research or teaching.

Common clinical usage includes phrases such as examen clínico (clinical examination), historia clínica (medical history), pruebas clínicas (clinical tests), and estudio/ensayo clínico (clinical study or clinical trial). In everyday language, a clínico may be described as a general practitioner or specialist who performs diagnostic assessment, discusses treatment options, and follows up with patients in a clinical setting.

In Portuguese, the term functions similarly. Clinicamente related items are described as clínico, and a general practitioner may be called clínico-geral. The word also appears in formal and academic contexts within medical literature, where it helps distinguish patient-centered bedside work from laboratory or translational research.

Etymology-wise, клиnico originates from Latin clinicus and Greek klinikós, linked to the concept of a clinic or the bedside study of patients. This lineage underpins related terms such as clínica or clínica médica in Spanish and clínica in Portuguese, which denote the place or field where clinical care is provided.