Acute Hospital Care

Abstract

The care of patients who are acutely hospitalized is an important component of chronic illness care and provides opportunities to enhance disease management. Hospital care starts with a structured, patient-centered approach at admission and ends with successful post-hospital planning and transitions of care. When evaluating a chronically ill patient for possible admission, it is important to address the patient’s presenting complaints and gather collateral subjective and objective information regarding both the acute problem and the underlying chronic medical conditions that may be contributing to their acute illness. During the hospital course, a team-based approach can promote the prevention of iatrogenic errors and nosocomial infections and facilitate the acute care management of the presenting problem and associated chronic illnesses. Discharge planning should ideally begin at the time of admission to facilitate a timely and effective transition after the acute hospitalization. When hospital care is well executed, there is great potential to improve outcomes, maximize healthcare utilization, and reduce costs.