Clinical Officer

A clinical officer (CO) is a mid-level practitioner of medicine in East Africa and parts of Southern Africa who is qualified and licensed to perform general medical duties such as diagnosis and treatment of disease and injury, ordering and interpreting medical tests, performing routine medical and surgical procedures, and referring patients to other practitioners.

To practice medicine as a clinical officer, one must complete at least four years of full-time medical training, supervised clinical practice and internship at an accredited medical training institution and hospitals and register with the relevant medical board in their country. A further one to four years of training and experience allows a clinical officer to specialize in a field such as pediatrics, surgery, Psychiatry and anesthesia; or to get an advanced general qualification in medicine and surgery. Some countries such as Rwanda, Congo and Zimbabwe train nurses and other specialized health workers to provide anesthesia, ophthalmology and general healthcare without requiring them to first complete a general medical education but these are not regarded as clinical officers.

Like physicians, a clinical officer is trained in the medical model and is licensed to practice the full scope of medicine and provide routine care in general medicine or within a medical specialty such as anesthesia and carry out treatment that is beyond the nurses' scope. A clinical officer oversees a health center or a district hospital and is part of the medical team in bigger hospitals where one may head a department or work under a senior clinical officer or a physician.

No significant difference has been demonstrated in studies comparing treatment decisions, patient outcomes, quality of care provided and level of knowledge about diseases between a clinical officer and a medical officer (a non-specialist physician) except in countries where nurses were mistakenly assessed as clinical officers. However, because of the nature of practice, populations served and resources at ones disposal, a clinical officer is less likely to administer expensive treatment, prescribe expensive (but not necessarily better) drugs or engage in futile care.

The success of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment initiatives in Africa is mostly attributed to use of clinical officers to diagnose the disease and provide comprehensive medical care. Access to emergency obstetric care through greater deployment of the clinical officer is one way of attaining the Millennium Development Goals 4 (reducing child mortality) and 5 (improving maternal health).

Worldwide, patients are seen by many other practitioners other than the traditional doctor such as:

• Osteopathic doctors, Podiatrists, Optometrists and Anesthesiologist assistants in the United States
• Physician Assistants in the United States, United Kingdom, Liberia and Ghana
• Assistant Doctors in China,
• Surgical Care and Emergency Care Practitioners in the UK,
• Assistant Physicians in Saudi Arabia,
• Health Extension Officers in Papua New Guinea
• Medical Assistants in Fiji
• Assistant Medical Officers in Malaysia
• Surgical Technologists in Mozambique
• Clinical Associates in South Africa.