Healthcare facilities play critical roles in providing people with quality medical services. Some of them include acute care, assisted living, birthing places, hospice homes, and nursing care facilities. All these medical centers provide care for individuals with different health problems who require specialized treatment. The large spectrum of healthcare facilities in the United States of America (USA) provides specialized treatment for people with distinct medical issues.
The different healthcare facilities enable patients to get the most appropriate services when they need them. In particular, acute care centers specialize in treating patients who have chronic medical issues and require ongoing health attention from nurses. In most cases, these facilities accommodate patients who get discharged from extensive diagnostic procedures or intensive care unit. Assisted living centers are for individuals who require regular medical checkups. Patients live in apartments or separate rooms, and some of the services offered are specialized care, housekeeping, security, recreational activities, and medications. Nursing homes provide a variety of healthcare services to patients. However, they mainly focus on medical care, assistance with daily activities, therapies, and rehabilitation. Birthing centers comprise of midwives who assist expectant mothers to deliver. Caregivers also take care of the health of mothers and fetuses during and after birth. Hospice homes accommodate patients in their end-of-life. These healthcare facilities take care of severally sick individuals whose chances of recovery are minimal so that they can die with dignity.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Although different healthcare facilities in the USA have the primary objective of improving people’s health, they work toward to achieve distinct goals and purposes. On that note, assisted living facilities take care of older adults by helping them to cook meals, clothing them, helping them to bath, and housekeeping (National Institute on Aging, n.d.). Their main aim is to offer personalized services to people so that they can lead comfortable lives. In addition, nursing homes provide assistance for individuals with mental or physical conditions who require constant supervision and care. Some people are taken to skilled nursing facilities after they are discharged from hospitals while others live there permanently. Birthing centers help pregnant women to deliver well without complications and ensure that both the mother and baby are in good health. Acute care facilities offer specialized treatment for patients with chronic illnesses to ensure that their health condition does not deteriorate. Many of these sick people are those recuperating after being admitted in intensive care units. Hospice homes comprise of people in their end-of-life. They provide emotional, spiritual, and medical support for patients together with their families.
The different healthcare facilities work in close collaboration to ensure that patients get the best services and that they recover within a short period. For example, after patients undergo extensive surgeries, they require specialized care, which is why they go to acute care centers (Aldridge et al., 2015). In these facilities, severely ill people lead comfortable lives where their stress agents are minimized to hasten their recovery process. Assisted living and nursing facilities provide the best environment for individuals such that they live longer and healthy. Hospice homes give hope for patients who are dying so that they can appreciate the remaining time on earth. Birthing centers ensure good health for mothers and babies after the delivery. Overall, all the healthcare facilities relate with each other either directly or indirectly.
There exist various entities that are responsible for regulating and controlling the healthcare services in the USA. The government, through the ministry of health together with other major stakeholders such as insurance agencies, enact policies to safeguard citizens’ rights. For example, doctors and nurses are prohibited from exposing patients’ information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA, 1996) bolsters data privacy and security for people’s medical profiles. Other individuals responsible for healthcare facilities oversight are physicians, hospital management, and social workers. Doctors give medications to sick individuals while nurses monitor their progress during the recovery process (Tang, Chan, Zhou, & Liaw, 2013). Moreover, social workers counsel patients to avoid psychological issues that delay healing. Hospital management offers appropriate resources for healthcare providers to foster high-quality medical services.
The primary similarity of healthcare facilities is that they all strive to provide quality medical services to patients. For instance, hospice homes offer a conducive environment for chronic patients to recuperate faster. In contrast, assisted living facilities ensure that people are comfortable through the provision of basic necessities such as food and housekeeping services. Another similarity is that medical facilities must adhere to government policies, particularly in how they handle their patients. However, they have various differences, which come from the services they offer to the public. For instance, acute care facilities deal with severe medical conditions, and they specialize in specific treatments customized for patients suffering from different health problems (Hua & Wunsch, 2014). Nursing homes have skilled nurses who monitor patients to ensure that they are recovering well. That is the reason why services such as therapies and rehabilitation are offered. Birthing centers are for expectant women who are monitored throughout the birth process. Lastly, the difference between hospice homes from other medical facilities is that they handle patients in their end-of-life.
To sum up, the large spectrum of healthcare facilities in the USA enables people suffering from diverse health conditions to get proper assistance. Every medical center offers specialized care for its patients so that they can recover within a short duration. For instance, hospice homes provide spiritual, medical, and emotional support for patients with less time remaining to live so that they can recover or die with dignity. On the contrary, acute care facilities deal with people who have undergone extensive medical procedures and require specialized care and a comfortable environment to heal. Birthing centers ensure that expectant mothers deliver safely without complications. Overall, the main aim of these different healthcare facilities is to promote high-quality medical services.
References
Aldridge, M. D., Hasselaar, J., Garralda, E., van der Eerden, M., Stevenson, D., McKendrick, K., … Meier, D. E. (2015). Education, implementation, and policy barriers to greater integration of palliative care: A literature review. Palliative Medicine, 30 (3), 224-239.
Hua, M., & Wunsch, H. (2014). Integrating palliative care in the ICU. Current Opinion in Critical Care, 20 (6), 673-680.
National Institute on Aging, (n.d.). Residential facilities, assisted living, and nursing homes. Retrieved from https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/residential-facilities-assisted-living-and-nursing-homes.
Tang, C. J., Chan, S. W., Zhou, W. T., & Liaw, S. Y. (2013). Collaboration between hospital physicians and nurses: An integrated literature review. International Nursing Review, 60 (3), 291-302.
