Inpatient care is care that is provided in a hospital or another type of facility where a patient is admitted, and will spend at least one night – often times more – depending on the reason why the patient is being admitted and the level of care that is needed. Hospitals and other inpatient care settings employ the largest number of healthcare professionals. According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook “Healthcare Occupations”, the healthcare industry is projected to add just under 2 million new jobs each year.

Hospital

As of 2022, in the United States, there are approximately 6,100 hospitals (American Hospital Association, 2023) that are open and actively serving the population of the US. Within the 6,100 hospitals, roughly 33,356,853 hospital admissions occur annually in the United States. These hospitals vary in size and their capacity to care for the sick. For example, general hospitals may treat a variety of medical problems and various age groups. They may also provide an assortment of diagnostics and surgical interventions. Some hospitals may have specialty units to care for individuals with very specific medical needs such as, oncology (cancer), trauma and burn units, cardiovascular, behavioral health, and specialty care for pediatrics (children). Hospitals in the United States can be differentiated using a few different factors, these include:

• How they function, meaning how they serve the community
• The size of the hospital:
  • Small hospitals have fewer than 100 beds
  • Medium hospitals have between 100 and 499 beds
  • Large hospitals have more than 500 beds
• The location of the hospital:
  • Rural hospitals generally serve smaller communities and have limited access to specialized services.
  • Urban hospitals are often found in larger metropolitan areas and offer a variety of specialty services and treatment options.

Hospitals can be categorized in several different ways, such as non-profit, public, for-profit, government-owned and short-stay hospitals. Let’s briefly describe each of these.

Non-profit hospitals are likely what comes to mind when we think of medical care. This type of hospital is considered a charity, as they function in alignment with the various state and federal guidelines associated with charities. For-Profit hospitals are very different from non-profit, as they are privately owned or owned by the public through shareholders or investor-owned. Government-owned hospitals, also called community hospitals, have funding that is provided by the various levels of government (local, state, and federal). Additionally, one may find that government-owned hospitals care for a large number of patients who are underinsured or uninsured. Government-owned hospitals are often academic medical centers or teaching hospitals. This type of hospital provides hands-on education to those who are in their medical training. Short-stay hospitals are generally utilized by patients who are in need of acute care for their medical problems. With short-stay hospitals, the number of days that a patient can remain admitted in the facility is generally limited before being transferred on to a long-term care facility.

Inpatient Behavioral Health

Behavioral health provides care for patients who are mentally ill, but may or may not be able to care for themselves. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (Mental Health, 2023), 1 in 5 adults in the United States live with some type of mental illness and 44% of adults with a diagnosed mental illness sought mental health treatment. Mental illnesses can be placed into two categories: Any Mental Illness (AMI) and Serious Mental Illness (SMI). AMI’s can vary in the way that the individual is affected, it can range from minimal impairment to severe impairment. SMI’s are illnesses that result in an individual having serious functional impairments, which lead to a significant impact on their activities of daily living. What type of conditions are treated in behavioral health centers? The conditions may include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, alcohol and substance abuse disorders, and intellectual disabilities. The treatments that are provided in behavioral health centers include medication management, psychotherapy and psychosocial treatments, brain stimulation therapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and other types of stimulation therapies.

Attributions

1. Figure 2.1: image released under the Pexels License