Types of Acute Hospital Care

Acute hospital care generally involves short but intense level of treatment for serious or life-threatening conditions resulting from trauma or things such as heart attack, stroke and cancer. Other situations, such as childbirth and psychiatric problems are also acute care services. Treatment is normally inpatient because the level of clinical personnel, diagnostic equipment and pharmaceutical supplies required.

Surgery

• Depending on complexity as well as possible complications, surgery for medical conditions or trauma are typically inpatient procedures with at least an overnight stay. Simpler procedures, such as cataract removal or hernia repair, are often done at ambulatory surgery centers, with the patient going home the same day.

  Trauma patients often have surgery after initial emergency room care. Other types of acute procedures include types of heart surgery, neurosurgery, appendectomy, gallbladder, intestinal and similar abdominal surgery. Complicated procedures not considered surgery are also part of acute care. Examples include gastrostomy and chest tube insertions, tracheostomy and endotracheal intubation.

Childbirth

• This can occur either in a larger, hospital maternity ward setting, or at a stand-alone birthing center. Prenatal and post-partum care is provided to low-risk patients who do not require surgical intervention and are expected to deliver babies near or at term and require a stay of less than 24 hours after giving birth.

Comprehensive Rehabilitation

• Not to be confused with long-term nursing home care, comprehensive rehabilitation means to provide therapy services to patients following the disabling effects of a long-term illness. These individuals are not sick enough to remain in the hospital, but require some sort of inpatient skilled care such as physical, occupational or speech therapy to improve physical abilities. Services are coordinated to maximize patient self-sufficiency upon release.

Mental Health

• For individuals unable to function in their homes because of depression or other mental illness, acute mental health services may be provided on an inpatient basis. Patients are kept for a few days to a few weeks until the original crisis passes and they are stabilized through therapy and possible medication. Drug abuse treatment, including methadone maintenance or detoxification, and counseling programs can also fall under this classification.

Other Services

• Some complicated diagnostic or therapeutic services also fall under acute care, even if they are outpatient. These include kidney dialysis, CAT (computerized axial tomography) scans, which provide imaging of the body's internal tissues, and Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy, in which kidney stones are pulverized.