The temples of Saturn, and later of Asclepius in Asia Minor, were recognized as healing centres. History of hospitalsĪs early as 4000 bce, religions identified certain of their deities with healing. Hospitals thus have become more expensive to operate, and health service managers are increasingly concerned with questions of quality, cost, effectiveness, and efficiency. A combination of medical research, engineering, and biotechnology has produced a vast array of new treatments and instrumentation, much of which requires specialized training and facilities for its use. As a result of the greater range of services and the more-involved treatments and surgeries available, a more highly trained staff is required. In developed countries the hospital as an institution is complex, and it is made more so as modern technology increases the range of diagnostic capabilities and expands the possibilities for treatment. Thus, people in these countries do not always receive the benefits of modern medicine, public health measures, or hospital care, and they generally have lower life expectancies. Developing countries, which contain a large proportion of the world’s population, generally do not have enough hospitals, equipment, and trained staff to handle the volume of persons who need care. Hospitals have long existed in most countries.
They may also stay for treatment in surgical or medical units for part of a day or for a full day, after which they are discharged for follow-up by a primary care health provider.
Patients arrive at the facility for short appointments. In addition, “bedless hospitals” provide strictly ambulatory (outpatient) care and day surgery. To better serve the wide-ranging needs of the community, the modern hospital has often developed outpatient facilities, as well as emergency, psychiatric, and rehabilitation services. The modern hospital also often serves as a centre for investigation and for teaching. Hospital, an institution that is built, staffed, and equipped for the diagnosis of disease for the treatment, both medical and surgical, of the sick and the injured and for their housing during this process.
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