Medikirurgiske

Medikirurgiske is a term used in Norwegian and other Scandinavian languages to describe the integrated medical and surgical domain within hospital care. It refers to patient care areas, teams, and processes that handle conditions requiring both medical management and surgical intervention or postoperative recovery.

The medikirurgiske approach covers patients who need medical treatment for illnesses such as infections, metabolic or cardiovascular issues, and chronic diseases, alongside procedures or recovery after surgery. In practice, medical-surgical care aims to provide continuous, holistic management across the perioperative continuum, from preoperative assessment through postoperative care and follow-up.

Organizationally, medikirurgiske wards or units bring together professionals from internal medicine and general surgery, supported by nurses, pharmacists, and rehabilitation specialists. Core responsibilities include frequent monitoring of vitals, pain control, wound care, infection prevention, medication reconciliation, management of fluids and electrolytes, and planning for discharge with appropriate out-patient follow-up and patient education. The model emphasizes coordination across disciplines to reduce delays and redundancies, ensuring a seamless transition between medical and surgical pathways.

Education and practice around medikirurgiske are often found within nursing and medical training, where curricula focus on clinical assessment, triage, perioperative care, and interprofessional collaboration. In many health systems, the term also appears in the naming of departments or wards that serve a broad patient population requiring both medical and surgical expertise, commonly referred to as medical-surgical or med-surg units.

See also: Medical-surgical nursing, Internal medicine, General surgery.