A specific unit of health care provided to a particular population.
A unit of health care. It is interesting that there is no standard term for a single unit of health care, whatever that unit may be. Both service and procedure are often used to refer to units of health care, i.e., a health service or a medical procedure, but neither has any constant definition. Service is sometimes used synonymously with encounter, but they should be differentiated, since an encounter may include several services. It is also used synonymously with department, a quite different meaning.
The term “service” has many meanings in health care, and must always be interpreted in context.
Help or assistance (e.g., for persons who are needy, sick, or injured).