Inpatients require hospitalization for at least one night, while outpatients only need short-term medical care. Hospitals try to limit inpatients for efficiency, but some conditions require hospitalization. Hospital stays can be expensive and frustrating, but hospitals provide diversions for inpatients.
An inpatient is a patient who must be hospitalized for at least one night to receive medical treatment. This is in contrast to an outpatient, a patient who only needs to stay in a hospital or clinic for a short period of time for medical care before returning home. Inpatients are often hospitalized for surgery, or for monitoring after accidents or serious medical events that have compromised their health in some way.
Most hospitals try to minimize the number of inpatients by limiting bed space specifically to those who need it and by encouraging staff to perform as many outpatient procedures as possible. This is done for the sake of efficiency, as outpatients are less expensive to care for and often appreciate being allowed to go home after their procedures are complete. Sometimes, however, a patient’s condition requires hospitalization.
In the case of planned medical procedures such as surgery, an in-patient is usually provided with an estimate of the length of stay, with the caveat that complications could prolong the stay. For emerging conditions that require immediate care, providers may be less able to predict how long a patient will need to stay, as the patient’s condition will require careful evaluation. Chronic conditions can require lengthy hospital stays, as can some terminal conditions, due to the complexity of the care required.
Being hospitalized can be frustrating, as you often have to be out and about, and it can also be extremely expensive. Every hospital stay requires the care of nursing staff, along with the attention of doctors and technicians to diagnose and treat the patient’s condition. Hospital stays also tend to involve expensive medical tests and procedures, and the bill can quickly become quite large. Mysterious emerging conditions can be particularly costly because doctors may try several courses of diagnosis and treatment before being able to fix the problem.
Many hospitals recognize that people generally don’t like being patients and provide diversions for their inpatients to make the experience more enjoyable. At a minimum, a hospital has scheduled inpatient visiting hours so that family and friends can stop by for conversation and bring requested comfort items such as books or movies. Many hospitals also have outreach programs with therapy animals, visiting clergy, and other visitors who can connect with patients to reduce boredom and frustration.
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