Internal medicine has a
type of practice known as hospital medicine, which focuses on caring for
hospitalized patients. Hospitalists are
internists who practice hospital medicine. However, not all hospitalists are required
to be internists. The internists are
uniquely prepared for hospital medicine by undergoing internal medicine
training. Consequently, most hospitalists are trained in internal medicine,
mostly general internal medicine.
Hospital medicine
discipline developed as a result of the growing number of difficult patients
who demand hospital care, and the demand for committed clinicians to administer
their management. The traditional method of caring for hospitalized patients
was replaced by the hospitalist model. The former was mostly done by clinicians
who were seeing critical patients and other clinical responsibilities that
minimized their potential in providing the level of care required by such
patients. Hospitalists gained the expertise in handling critical patients, by
focusing on this specific group of patients. They can provide superior and
efficient care in hospitals focused on families and patients.
Currently, there are
31,000 hospitalists practicing nationwide.
How does a hospitalist work with me?
Your hospitalist and your
primary care physician (PCP) plan and oversee treatment during your admission
period to assist you in getting the best result possible.
When you are admitted to
the hospital, your hospitalist organizes your care plan during the admission
period, asking for diagnostic imaging studies and laboratory tasks. He/she
examines all your tests, and changes your treatment accordingly. They will also
continually update your care plan throughout your admission period.
How does a hospitalist
work with me? You and your family will collaborate with your hospitalist, who
will answer and discuss any questions you may have about your disease,
treatment, and other related processes during your admission.
How does a hospitalist discover my medical history?
Your hospitalist spends more
time studying you. If your care is assigned to a hospitalist, he/she will
contact your PCP to examine your past medical history and examine your medical
notes related to your illness. She/he gathers information from you and your
relatives, apart from reviewing any previous hospital records.
24/ 7 Availability
Hospitalists can provide
care at any time, since they are at work all the time. During your hospital
admission, your nurse can call your hospitalist any time when the need arises.
Coordinating with your principal doctor
Your
hospitalist coordinates with your principal doctor throughout your inpatient
period. When you are discharged, he/she
informs your principal doctor about the nature of care you were given. The care
includes any post-discharge prescriptions, recommendations for further
treatment and the prescribed follow-up care. You can be advised to call your
doctor for appointment planning, or you may be given a booking for follow-up
care with your primary doctor when your discharge instructions are reviewed
with you.
What is the importance of hospitalists to patients?
A hospitalist can get a
lot of experience in the special nature of a patient's needs in the course of
the hospital stay, by concentrating on taking care of admitted patients.
Hospitalists are more
readily available than doctors (who spend a lot of time out of the hospital in
an office or clinical environment) because their work requires them to be in
the hospital most of, or during all working hours.
The American Board of
Internal Medicine gives a unique certification known as Focused Practice in
Hospital Medicine for developed internists, who
focus on hospital medicine. However, most internists who offer hospital
medicine have standard certification in internal medicine, which is the most
ordinary level of training among st hospitality internists. Certification of
Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine is slightly different from basic internal
medicine certification, but they cannot coexist. However, the medical practitioners can switch
from one certificate to another when they change from one practice
concentration to another.
