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Hospital

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What is a Hospital?

A hospital is a healthcare facility that provides specialized medical and nursing care as well as medical supplies to patients. The most well-known form of the hospital is the general hospital, which usually carries an emergency department to handle urgent health issues such as fire and accident victims, as well as medical emergencies.


According to the hospital definition, a district hospital is usually the region's primary healthcare facility, with a large number of intensive-care beds and extra beds for patients who need long-term care. Trauma centers, children's hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, hospitals, and seniors' (geriatric) hospitals for coping with particular medical conditions such as psychiatric care are also examples of specialized hospitals and several other disease categories. When opposed to general hospitals, specialized hospitals can help save money on health care. Based on the source of revenue, hospitals are categorized as general, specialized, or government.


A teaching hospital integrates patient care with medical students as well as nurse education. A clinic is a care facility that is smaller than that of a hospital. A hospital's departments (such as surgery and urgent care) and specialty units (such as cardiology) are diverse. Outpatient departments and chronic care centers are available at certain hospitals. Pathology, pharmacy, and radiology are examples of common support units.


Quality and safety:

As the quality of health care has become more of a concern around the world, hospitals have had to pay more attention to this issue. One of the most powerful ways to analyze this component of health care is through independent external quality assessment, and hospital accreditation is one way to do so. Accreditation is sourced from other countries in many parts of the world, a phenomenon known as international healthcare accreditation.


Different Departments in Hospital (Various Departments in Hospital)

Below given are the details of different departments in the hospital:- 

  • Outpatient department (OPD), Surgical department, Inpatient service (IP), Nursing department, Physical medicine, Paramedical department, and Rehabilitation department, Dietary department, Pharmacy department, Operation theater complex (OT), Radiology department (X-ray), and Non-professional services are some of the departments located in hospitals.

  • A nursing department, led by a director of nursing or a chief nursing officer, might exist in a hospital. Such a department has the responsibility of overseeing the hospital's clinical nursing practice, research, and regulation.

  • Numerous units also have nursing as well as a medical director who also acts as a supervisor for their subject areas. A medical director, for instance, is in charge of doctors and medical treatment in an intensive care nursery, whereas the nursing manager is in charge of both nurses and nursing healthcare.

  • Health records, technical support, disclosure of information, facilities management, clinical engineering, dining services, and plant operations, are examples of support units.


Hospital Services

Hospital Services refers to the clinical services provided by the Hospital, as well as the operational activities that support those clinical services, which are funded in whole or in part by the LHIN, and includes the type, volume, frequency, and availability of Hospital Services; HSAA Indicator Technical Specifications refers to the document titled "HSAA Indicator Technical Specifications," as amended or replaced from time to time.


Hospital services are the foundation of a hospital's services. They are frequently influenced by the demands or wishes of the hospital's key users, with the goal of making the hospital a one-stop or core institution of the local community or medical network. Hospitals are facilities with basic services and personnel—usually medicine and surgical departments—that provide clinical and other services for specific diseases and ailments, as well as emergency care. Hospital services include everything from basic health care to training and research for major medical school centres, as well as services created by a network of industry-owned institutions such as health maintenance organisations.


Below mentioned are some of the hospital services:-

  • Emergency room services

  • Short-term hospitalization

  • X-ray/radiology services

  • General and specialty surgical services

  • Blood services

  • Laboratory services


Health maintenance organization hospitals supplement the basic list with a variety of specialized and auxiliary services, such as:

  • Pediatric specialty care

  • Prescription services

  • Good access to surgical specialists

  • Rehabilitation services and physical therapy

  • Home nursing services

  • Mental health care

  • Nutritional counseling

  • Genetic testing and counseling

  • Family support services

  • Financial services

  • Case management or social work services


Function of Hospital

Below mentioned are some of the functions of hospital/hospital use:-

  • Medical hospital - medical hospital includes the treatment and management of patients by a team of doctors.

  • Patient Support provides nursing, nutritional diagnostic, counseling, pharmacy, and medical supplies, all of which are directly related to patient care.

  • Administrative responsibilities include carrying out the hospital's guidelines and directives regulating the release of support services in the areas of finance, staff, housekeeping, materials and property, laundry, protection, transportation, engineering, and board as well as several other maintenance. 

  • The hospital's financial activities must be planned, guided, and coordinated for 

  • Patients in a hospital as well as the employees working there.

  • Prepare a job and financial plan for services and initiatives, as well as funding projections.

  • To keep track of cash receipts and disbursements.

  • To manage personnel development plans, procedures, and standards; to provide guidance on policy, implementation, and administration of laws, rules, and regulations.

  • The quality, efficacy, and outcomes of health services for various groups and populations are shaped by the structure and dynamics of healthcare organizations; the policy repercussions for future health care reform initiatives and patients in the hospital.

  • Hospital operation is another major benefit of hospitals.


Types of Bed in Hospital With Name

Making a bed is a skill. It is a method of preparing a suitable bed based on the patient's condition and using scientific nursing concepts. The patient would feel more comfortable if the bed is made with care. Nurses must be able to prepare hospital beds in a variety of ways depending on the situation. In most cases, beds are made after a client requires specific treatment and when there are no other people in the room.


Types of beds in hospitals with names are:-

  • Simple Beds

  • Special Beds


Simple Beds:

  •  Closed Bed

  •  Open Bed

  •  Occupied Bed


Special Beds:

  • Operation Bed 

  • Cardiac Bed

  • Blanket Bed

  • Amputation Bed

  • Fracture Bed


Types of Hospital

Hospitals are typically subsidized by the government, for-profit or nonprofit health agencies, health insurance providers, or charities, such as direct charitable donations. Depending on the funding, hospitals can be classified into one of three groups. 

Below mentioned are the types of the hospital:

  • Publicly owned hospital

  • Nonprofit hospitals

  • For-profit hospitals


Hospitals may be further graded depending on the type of care they provide (indicative) or the services they provide, such as:

  • Specialty Hospitals

  • General Medical & Surgical Hospitals

  • Clinics

  • Teaching Hospitals

  • Psychiatric Hospitals

  • Clinics for Family Planning and Abortion

  • Hospices & Palliative Care Centers

  • Centers for Emergency and Other Outpatient Care

  • Clinics for Sleep Disorders

  • Blood & Organ Banks

  • Dental Laboratories


Fundings of the Hospitals 

  • Support for modern hospitals comes from several places. They may be paid for by public funds, charitable contributions, or private funds and health insurance. The National Health Service in the United Kingdom provides state-funded health services to legal citizens "completely free of delivery," as well as emergency care to everyone, regardless of nationality or status.

  • Due to the requirement for hospitals to prioritize their available resources, there is a propensity for 'waiting lists' for non-essential treatment in countries with such programs, then those who can access it can opt for private medical insurance to receive treatment quite rapidly and efficiently.

  • Hospitals and clinics in the United States are generally privately owned and operated, with certain for-profit hospitals including HCA Healthcare. A chargemaster is used to charge a database of procedures and their costs; nevertheless, these prices could be lower for healthcare services provided across healthcare networks.

  • Hospitals are required by law to treat patients in life-threatening emergencies regardless of their financial capacity to pay. Privately operated hospitals that accept people without insurance in emergency cases, including the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, suffer significant revenue damage.

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FAQs on Hospital

1. Define Hospital Pharmacy.

A hospital pharmacy is a clinic that stores and distributes drugs to inpatients. Hospital pharmacies typically store a wider variety of drugs than neighborhood pharmacies, along with more specialized and investigational medications. Outpatients can receive over-the-counter and prescribed medications from hospital pharmacies.

2. Explain the Diagnostic Centre Meaning.

A diagnostic center means that it is a facility that provides testing services to the medical community as well as the general public. A diagnostic technique is an examination used to assess a disorder, disease, or sickness by identifying an individual's particular areas of weakness and power.

3. Give Some Hospital Course Examples.

MBBS, BUMS, BDS, BHMS, M. Sc, BAMS, MBA in hospital administration, pharmacy, psychology are some hospital course examples.