A hospital is a medical facility that diagnoses and treats diseases, illnesses, and injuries. Some hospitals also offer long-term care for chronic or serious conditions. Some hospitals are specialized in specific medical conditions, such as heart disease or cancer. Others are larger and have multiple specialties. Some are government-run, while others are private or nonprofit.
Some hospitals have specific visiting hours and some treatment areas may not allow visitors (like operation suites). Patients can be visited by anyone they want, but if a patient is sick or has reduced immunity they may not have visitors at all. Hospitals often have strict infection control protocols and may require people to wash their hands before and after visiting a patient.
Creating healing environments that prioritise patient comfort, well-being, and stress reduction is an important focus for many hospitals. They are also adapting their services and facilities to fit the needs of an ageing population. New technology, like AI-driven diagnostics and predictive analytics, are revolutionizing patient care. They improve physician efficiency, augment diagnosis accuracy, and increase patient outcomes.
Early hospitals were founded by religious orders to care for the sick and poor. Today, they are staffed by professional physicians, nurses, and allied health practitioners. Hospitals are regulated by government and have to comply with certain policies and standards. They also have to regularly submit data about patient satisfaction to organizations such as HCAHPS and Press-Ganey. This provides important information about hospital quality and incentivized accountability and improvement.