History and Overview of Inpatient Care

In-patient care refers to care of a patient who is formally admitted (or hospitalized) to an institution for treatment and/or care and stays for a minimum of one night. In-patient care is delivered in hospitals, other nursing homes and residential care facilities or in establishments which are classified according to their focus of care under the ambulatory care. In-patient care includes accommodations provided in combination with medical treatment when the latter is the predominant activity provided during the stay as an in-patient (OECD, 2001).

Three relevant examples and characteristics of in-patient care are:
1. Inpatient Psychiatric Wards
The Institute of Living, offers the following Adult Inpatient Services:
· Acute Grief
· Substance Dependence
· Personality Disorders
· Eating Disorders
The aim is to tailor each person’s treatment plan to the individual needs as much as possible. This is based upon assessment of each patient’s individual needs. Patients are encouraged to attend groups to find commonality in their issues, along with skills, relapse prevention, and leisure skills training.

2. Acute Hospital Setting: Physical Therapy Inpatient Care
Patients who are admitted to an acute hospital setting such as inpatient care in a physical therapy center may have been involved in an accident or have suffered/are suffering from a health problem that has had an effect on their movement.
Patient areas they assist with:
· Cardiac
· Digestive Disease
· Orthopedics
· Trauma,etc.
Physical therapists evaluate each patient and work as part of a team to determine appropriate discharge plans including home, inpatient rehabilitation or skilled nursing, and outpatient services (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, 2007).

3. Hospice Care: Impatient Unit
Hospice care (also called end-of-life care) is provided by health professionals and volunteers. They give medical, psychological and spiritual support. The goal of the care is to help people who are dying have peace, comfort and dignity. The caregivers try to control pain and other symptoms so a person can remain as alert and comfortable as possible. Hospice programs also provide services to support a patient’s family (Medline Plus, 2010).

Cost, quality and Access are connected and influence each other and are a basic concern for patients. If one element is shifted in increase, either one or both would compensate for that change. The better cost, highest quality, and best access are goals for inpatient care providers and the desire of patients. Better access is a result of low prices for inpatient care; those who do not have insurance are less likely to access inpatient care due to cost. Those who receive aid or are insured are more likely to utilize inpatient care. Even for the uninsured who seeks inpatient care may not have access to the best quality due to the lack of funds. Accessible care ultimately improves the quality of life for those who can effectively participate and purchase it. Inpatient care is accessible to retirees, those with complete disabilities, and veterans through Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance). That insurance covers the first 60 days of hospital inpatient care after a deductible is paid. If further time is needed they are transferred to a skill nursing facility, the first 20 days are covered under the deductible, but care after that will be covered out of pocket

Inpatient care is more important than a competing topic because 92% of hospital revenues come from inpatient care. This is why inpatient care is more important in terms of workforce (it provides wages), financing (it provides most of the financing for hospitals). Hospice Care helps a person maintain dignity and remain comfortable in their last stages of life. General hospitals provide a variety of medicines and surgeries to meet and satisfy the needs of the community. Specialty hospitals can provide care for patients with a certain condition or disease. Specialty hospitals include rehabilitation hospitals (which specialize in therapeutic services) and children’s hospitals (which specialize in the treatment of children). Without these different forms of inpatient care, patients may not get the specialized and individual care they need to return to wellness. There are even more types of hospitals: teaching hospitals, church-affiliated hospitals, and osteopathic hospitals, one of these types of hospitals may fit their own values and beliefs in terms of health care. (More important than health services for special populations the hospitals serve all populations, depending on the needs or wants of patient)

Inpatient care allows follow up and monitoring of patients when they are now well enough to care for themselves. Complications that may arise from a procedure may be detected earlier, under the supervision of health care professionals. In inpatient care, there is actually contact between the patient and the health care professional. Inpatient care includes makes up a sort of umbrella over areas such as workforce, technology, and financing. (This makes inpatient care more important than outpatient care. Complications of outpatient procedures may not be detected and responded to as quickly and efficiently)



Hartford Healthcare. (2010). Inpatient Care. Retrieved from http://www.harthosp.org/InstituteOfLiving/AdultServices/InpatientCare/default.aspx
HospiceCare, Inc. (2010). Inpatient Hospice. Retrieved from: http://www.hospicecareinc.com/inpatient-care.html
MedlinePlus. (2010). Hospice Care. Retrieved from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hospicecare.html
OECD Health Data. (2001). A Comparative Analysis of 30 Countries. Retrieved from:
http://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=1364
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. (2007). Physical Therapy. Retrieved from: http://www.uihealthcare.com/depts/rehabilitationtherapies/physicaltherapy/inpatient.html
Shi, L, & Singh, D. (2008). Delivering health care in america: a systems approach (4th ed.). Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

American Cancer Society, Initials. (2009, May 6). What is Hospice care. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_2_5X_What_IS_Hospice_Care.asp