Hospital Facts Revealed For Kids: Know How Hospitals Work!

Wearing the white coat proudly with a stethoscope around the neck and giving required health care to patients has been the dream of many children.

We have all admired the magic of the white coat that mysteriously takes away our pain and saves our lives. As kids, even if we were scared to make a visit to the hospital, we knew it was the only place that could cure us!

The wisdom of medical science was born about 5000 years ago. But it has developed drastically in the past centuries. Community health and life expectancy have improved significantly in the past few decades with the establishment of medical centers in each locality. Life claiming diseases of yesteryear are easily treatable today.

Today's healthcare centers have not only progressed in terms of treatment but also in terms of prevention and management.

The healthcare sector of the United States of America accounts for 18% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of its economy. With 5,534 registered hospitals in the U.S. hospitals can be broadly differentiated based on four categories, namely:

Specialty: Children's hospital, which provides child care.

Ownership: Refers to private and community hospitals.

Teaching Hospitals: These are associated with a medical university from which interns and residents come for internships.

Profit-Based: Profit and not-for-profit community hospitals come under this category.

Did you know the adverse effects of unsafe care are one of the 10 leading causes of death and disability across all locations? Self-medication is another major challenge that the health care industry faces across all locations.

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Departments In Hospital

Different departments of varying specialties work together for the proper functioning of a hospital. Hospitals with greater footfall, especially community hospitals, require a good number of medical support personnel for the systematic functioning of hospitals and medical schools.

Finance Department: Employees look into the hospital expenses, cost management, and the monthly payments of the hospital's employees.

Out-Patient Department: It provides care to emergency cases and injuries and looks into immediate symptoms so that appropriate health care services and treatments reach the patients.

In-Patient Department: It provides facilities like medical care, dietary services, and lodging. This is comprised of Intensive Care Wards (ICU) and Intermediate Care Wards.

Medical Department: This department provides various clinical services and comprises units like cardiology, neurology, rheumatology, obstetrics, surgery, psychiatry, and more.

Nursing Department: This center provides the required care and support to patients in the hospital. This department also gives training to nursing staff.

Operation Theatre Complex (OT): Operation Theaters serve as the center for performing various surgeries and other procedures. The OT is always located close to the delivery room.

Pathology Department: Refers to a unit that manages tests and lab results and analysis.

Role Of Doctors, Nurses And Healthcare Workers In Hospitals

Doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers work in harmony to provide the required healthcare to the ill. Different levels of doctors, namely the attending doctor, the fellow, the residents, and the interns, along with a variety of different levels of nurses, work together to provide healthcare.

Doctors are usually the ones who provide diagnostics and decide the level of severity of the condition. Doctors can be considered at the top of the social hierarchy of a hospital.

Nurses provide the intermediate and intensive care required by the ill. They keep tabs on the vitals and day-to-day progress and are the first ones to respond in case of an emergency.

Healthcare workers strive to provide a better quality of life for the community. They educate people on their doubts and work at various locations to help people.

Along with this, the hospital staff works on other factors as well, for example, waste management. The management works on the efficient and environment-friendly disposal of the four types of hospital waste, namely: infectious, hazardous, radioactive, and general.

Services Offered By A Hospital

Hospitals offer a variety of services based on their specialties and capabilities. A few of those facilities include:

Burn And Trauma Center: This facility deals with the treatment of severe burns and related trauma.

Cardiology: This unit deals with patients with heart conditions and problems with the circulatory system.

Gastroenterology: This unit provides facilities to care for patients with digestive issues and upper and lower gastrointestinal problems.

General Surgery: Manages surgeries and other procedures on patients.

Intensive Care Unit: The intensive care unit, or ICU, provides treatment and rehabilitation services for severe and high-risk illnesses. The staff usually do not allow family and visitors due to the risk factor.

Neurology: This facility deals with problems of the nervous system. One of the most intrinsic units requires the doctor to have absolute excellence in the field.

Obstetrics/Gynecology: The faculty here works with maternity services for the health and welfare of the mother and child.

Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose, And Throat): As the name suggests, the ENT department doesn't just work with ENT but also the head and neck region.

The First Hospital And Its History

The first recorded hospital in the United States of America is said to have been established on Manhattan Island in 1663. The hospital was established by the community to provide health care facilities to wounded soldiers.

The first children's hospital was created in the 19th century. France got the first children's hospital, followed by England. Children's hospitals provide optimal care to infants, children, and adolescents for their physical and mental health.

The first proper and organized hospital in America was the Pennsylvania Hospital, established in 1731. The hospital was established by the Quaker leader, William Penn. One of the nation's first teaching hospitals, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, was established in 1874.

Technological advances and inventions have certainly advanced the healthcare center. Countries have emphasized improving hospital care and rehabilitation facilities as well as improving staff and care for visitors.

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