Question 1

What is a hospital and what is it’s purpose ?

Accepted Answer

Hospitals are institutions which offer medical care and treatment to patients. Hospitals have infrastructure designed to handle any kind of medical emergencies, with trained medical staff, nursing staff  and administrative staff. A hospital is equipped for diagnosis of disease or accidents, treatment, which can be either or both medical as well as surgical, for the sick and injured patients.

Question 2

What are the services offered by a hospital

Accepted Answer

Hospitals play an important role to maintain the health and wellbeing of the people. They provide many kinds of services to their patients. These services are as follows:
Emergency care and admission - hospitals are open 24/7 for any emergency cases. They are equipped to handle any medical emergencies like accidents, heart attacks, traumatic injuries and strokes. There are emergency rooms which are staffed round the clock by trained medical professionals.
Diagnostic tests - Hospitals have many diagnostic equipment like CT scanners, X-Ray machines, MRI machines, ultrasonography machines and so on, which are used to diagnose medical conditions.
Surgery - Hospitals have operation theatres that are staffed by surgeons, anesthesiologist, certified registered nurse anesthetist, operating room nurse, surgical technician and such medical professionals, who can aid in the operation.
Inpatient care - Inpatient care is provided for patients who need an extended stay in the hospital for treatment and recovery.
Outpatient care - hospitals offer care for patients who don't need any stay in the hospital, but are given other services like general consultation, chemotherapy, dialysis and rehabilitation.

Question 3

What is the importance of hospital

Accepted Answer

Good health is one of the most important aspects of life and to maintain that, we need good medical facilities. No wonder hospitals play an important role in everyone’s life.
Medical care provision: They have many facilities, equipment, and necessary staff to diagnose and treat a variety of illnesses and injuries. They offer many preventive care services like health screenings and vaccinations.
Emergencies: Hospitals play a crucial role in offering emergency care to their patients who have suffered sudden illness or injuries. Their 24/7 emergency departments are well staffed with trained medical professionals who can provide life saving treatments.
Research and Development: Hospitals are involved in Research and Development activities which advance medical knowledge and improvise treatments. They conduct clinical trials of new drugs and medical equipment, and even engage in basic research methods to understand the cause of diseases.
Education and training: Hospitals are important for educating and training the medical professionals of the next generation. They have medical schools and such residency programs where the healthcare professional gets hands-on training.
Community health: Hospitals play a critical role in promotion of the health of the community by offering education and such programs. There are also classes on healthy living, on chronic diseases and community health fairs are held with free health screenings.

Question 4

What are OPD services in hospitals?

Accepted Answer

OPD means Out Patient Department in a hospital. This is the primary point of communication between the out patients and the medical professionals. The patients visit this department to receive medical consultation, diagnosis and for treatment for many health conditions on an outpatient basis without any need of hospitalization.

Question 5

What is the difference between OPD and emergency?

Accepted Answer

OPD treats and diagnoses any general disease or health condition. Emergency, on the other hand, is for specific conditions like accidents. The location, treatment, fees as well as the function of both departments differs.
Further, OPD is for non-emergency services like consultation, diagnosis and treatment of patients on an outpatient basis. Emergency is for immediate medical attention to the patients having life threatening conditions or such serious injuries that need urgent medical intervention. The emergency departments are open 24/7 and have medical teams specially trained to handle emergencies.

Question 6

What are the types of hospitals

Accepted Answer

There are many types of hospitals which exist having their own specific purpose, focus, and speciality. Here are some of the common types of hospitals,
Teaching hospitals - They are affiliated with medical schools and are used as training centres for the medical students and residents.
Community hospitals - They are smaller than the general hospitals, focusing on care to the surrounding community.
Children’s hospitals - They are especially designed to offer care to the children and adolescents. They have specialized paediatric doctors.
Rural hospitals - They are situated in rural places and offer essential medical services to the residents in remote or backward regions.
Speciality hospitals - They focus on offering specialized care to their patients having specific medical needs or conditions like cancer hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals or psychiatric hospitals.
Academic medical centers - They are affiliated with academic institutions and focused on medical research, innovation and education.
General hospitals - They are large multi-speciality hospitals which offer a range of medical care, services and treatments to the people.
Government hospitals - They are owned and operated by the government agencies. In such hospitals, medical facilities are mostly provided for free or in some cases a nominal charge is levied.
Other than these common hospitals, there are other specialized hospitals or such healthcare facilities too. They are as follows;
Rehabilitation hospitals: They specialize in offering rehabilitation services like occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy to the patients who have suffered from an injury to illness.
Cancer treatment centers: They specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of the cancer, which includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy and such surgical procedures.
Cardiac centers: They offer specialized care for their patients having heart and cardiovascular conditions and includes diagnostic testing, surgeries and rehabilitation.
Eye hospital: These hospitals specialize in treatment of all ophthalmic related concerns such as cataract surgery, lasik, phaco, retina surgery and general eye check up.
Mental health facilities: They offer specialized care for individuals having mental health problems. These are also known as psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment facilities or addiction treatment centers.
Urgent care centers: They offer walk-in medical care for any non-life-threatening conditions like minor injuries, infections or flu symptoms.
Women’s health centers: They offer specialized care for women, and their services include gynecological services, prenatal care and obstetrics.
Orthopedic centers: They focus on the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions and such injuries, like surgeries, joint replacements and such conditions. Ambulatory surgery centers: They specialize in offering outpatient surgical services for the patients who don't need an overnight hospital stay.
Hospice and Palliative care facilities: They specialize in offering end of life care for patients who are terminally ill or have a serious injury or illness which is life threatening and can result in death of the patient.
Psychiatric hospitals: They specialize in offering mental health services and treatment to patients having psychiatric illnesses like schizophrenia, anxiety or depression.
Long term acute care hospitals: They specialize in offering care to the patients who need an extended stay in the hospital, for over 25 days, due to some illness or injury.

Hospitals In Manipal

Kasturba Hospital

Sonia Clinic

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