Define Acute Care Hospitalization

An acute care hospital is a facility offering surgical and medical patient care for individuals facing an unexpected serious medical problem that needs immediate assessment and treatment. During this phase of hospitalization patients receive diagnosis and treatment plan.

Definition

• Acute care is offered to patients with a serious health problem.

  Acute hospitals have emergency room facilities that feature medical and health care staff with expertise in a variety of medical specialty areas to meet the needs of patients. Hospitals Today defines acute hospital care as when "a patient is treated for a brief but severe episode of illness."

Facilities

• Hospitals offering acute care have healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat patients.

  This Connecticut Office of Health Care Access states that acute care hospitals provide "a short term hospital that has facilities, medical staff, and all necessary personnel to provide diagnosis, care and treatment of a wide range of acute conditions including injuries."

Diagnoses

• Acute care hospitalizations offer diagnosis like boken bones or chest pain.

  Patients receiving acute hospital care can present with medical, psychological, or substance abuse problems. Other examples of admission diagnoses include broken bones, gall bladder disease, abdominal pain and pneumonia.

Goals

• Patient stabilization is a primary goal during acute hospitalization.

  Major goals of acute hospitalization include diagnosis and stabilization of the patient. Brock Slabach, Senior VP of the National Rural Health Association, says acute care hospitals "provide both inpatient and outpatient services with the goal of discharging the patient as soon as the patient is deemed stable.

Considerations

• Patients are referred for discharge planning if indicated.

  Generally acute hospitalizations offer short term stays for patients. After diagnosis patients receive referrals to the medical specialists to receive any additional medical attention. Another component to acute hospital care includes discharge planning if additional treatment proves necessary post hospital stay.