Introduction
Hospitalisation means admitting a person into hospital care and accommodating the patient in a hospital bed. This topic covers the reasons for and types of hospitalisation, the rights and obligations of hospitalised patients, and the indicators that measure hospital activity.
Hospitalisation
Reasons
- Emergency
- The patient cannot receive care in ambulatory care
- Organ transplant
- A consultation
- A planned medical procedure
Hospitalisation may be due to
- Medical reasons: admission for treatment or assessment, i.e. diseases. It depends on the diagnosis, the stage of the disease, the presence of comorbidities and the general condition.
- Social reasons: low income or poor living conditions (e.g. poor people, street kids). The patient's condition would allow home treatment, but because of poverty he or she has to be hospitalised.
- Medico-social reasons: disease prevalent on the streets.
Types of hospitalisation
1. Elective
- The person has a known medical condition or complaint that requires further workup, follow-up, treatment or surgery (elective surgery, planned doctor consultation procedures).
- Hospitalisation is for non-emergency reasons.
- The admission itself may be delayed until a time that is convenient for both the patient and the doctor.
- In most cases of elective admission, the patient comes to the hospital's admitting office.
- The patient may be instructed to go to the hospital several days in advance for lab work, X-rays, ECGs or other pre-screening tests.
- If elective surgery is needed and a blood transfusion may be required, the patient can ask the doctor whether blood can be set aside or donated in advance for his or her own use.
2. Emergency
- Individuals are admitted through the emergency department, when there is a risk to life, limb or health.
- The patient may be admitted to a floor, a specialised unit (for example the medical or surgical intensive care unit), or a holding (observation) unit.