Summary
Acute care in the United States is considered to be among the best in the world. But do not be fooled. Healthcare is widely considered the third leading cause of death in the US. Additionally, we have considerable room for improvement in the care of our acutely sick patients. This podcast reviews some of the “low hanging fruit” to improve our inpatient systems. These improvements have largely been ignored in my experience. This podcast represents my experiences and opinions. It is not medical advice and I do not cite any sources.
Morbidity and Mortality
None of the hospitals I have ever worked at have prioritized sleep. As sleep is necessary for healing and proper immunity, this is a tragedy.
Key Points
1. Sleep is completely overlooked in the hospital; we often keep patients up all night.
2. Hospital food is not the food I recommend my patients eat. As food is medicine. This is a big problem.
3. Hospitals offer patients little time outside and almost no natural sunlight. We almost never allow them contact with the earth.
4. We are so afraid of falls that we prevent patients from mobilizing. This is a huge detriment to them.
References
Personal experience working at over 30 rural and urban hospitals across 3 regions in the United States over the last 10 years.