Evolution of hospitals

Evolution of hospitals

Hospitals are one of the most indispensable institutions that the human population has created for its welfare. A hospital acts as a coordination center for the provision of health care. This means that it eases healthcare provision by being a meeting point for the health care providers and the patients. In the early societies, hospitals had occurred in different forms for the provision of healthcare. Colonization helped in spreading the modern form of hospitals to different societies. Hospitals have witnessed evolution in different aspects. Over 100 years, hospitals have mainly changed in terms of scientific advancement and structure.

The ancient hospitals had generalized care systems while the modern hospitals are increasingly advancing towards individualized care systems. Generalized care systems refer to health care provision that target populations rather than individual patients (Soletsky, 2002). In this system, health care providers assess the common health needs of a society and design intervention programs that specifically address those needs. This system arose from the fact that most hospitals did not possess adequate resources for tackling most health care needs. In the modern systems, hospitals tend to address specific health needs of patients. In this sense, hospitals provide specialized services to given patients. For instance, there are hospitals that mainly cater for surgery programs. Increased attention to patients’ needs, therefore, marks a critical difference between ancient hospitals and modern hospitals.

Unlike the ancient hospitals, the modern hospitals have produced interventions for previously deadly diseases. Hospitals have progressed in terms of uncovering vaccines and immunizations for lethal conditions such as polio, whopping core, and meningitis (Soletsky, 2002). Contemporary hospitals have radiation oncology and chemotherapy for managing life hampering diseases such as cancer. With the use of ultra sound scan machines and development in nuclear biology, hospitals have a better understanding of human anatomy. There is improved anesthesia, better surgical methods, and organ transplanting. It is crucial to note that modern hospitals manifest a greater understanding of body’s fluid systems and electrolyte stability.

Improved communication technology marks a vital difference between the past hospitals and the modern hospitals. In 100 years ago, hospitals employed traditional communication methods such as letters. This limited the interaction between health care professionals and departments in hospitals. Current hospitals highly utilize the internet in serving clients and reaching out to other health care agents. There are improved communication systems across departments as individuals send and receive instantaneous messages. For instance, hospitals have created websites for providing information about their services and location. Such systems encourage feedback from patients who offer the right information about their needs. Since hospitals increasingly perceive themselves as business entities, adequate market information is only possible through improved communication technology (Cutler, 2003).

Without a doubt, over 100 years, hospitals have majorly changed in terms of scientific advancement and structure of services. The past hospitals majorly practiced generalized health care provision while modern hospitals are fast advancing towards specialized care. The hospitals in the past might have carried out this form of healthcare because of limited resources. The modern hospitals tend to address unique needs of patients. This has triggered the diversification of health care services. Unlike ancient hospitals, modern hospitals have produced major interventions for previously deadly diseases. This is observable in the cases of vaccines for formerly lethal conditions such as polio. This is also possible using technology such as ultra sound scan machines. Improved communication systems mark a vital difference between hospitals in the past and modern hospitals. It is discernible that the outbreak of deadly illnesses and the evolution of social life have influenced the rapid development of hospitals.

References

Cutler, D. M. (2003). The changing hospital industry: Comparing not-for-profit and for-profit institutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Soletsky, L. (2002). 100 years of medicine. New York, NY: iUniverse.