Differences Between Nursing Home Facilities and Acute Care Hospitals

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Please see the response file attached, which is also presented below.

RESPONSE:

Let's take a closer look at some of differences and similarities, which you can draw on for your final copy.

1. How does the nursing structure of a nursing home facility differ from that of a general acute cares hospital? Why? Are these differences necessary?

Knowledge of health care systems includes and understands the organization and environment in which nursing and health care is provided. Health care policy shapes health care systems and helps determine accessibility, accountability and affordability. Generally, an acute care hospital is a hospital that provides short-term patient care, compared to a nursing home, which is usually long-term care.

The differences are deemed necessary because the systems work together as a whole. The differences between nursing home facility and a general acute care hospital is a matter of definition, type of delivery system and level of care required by the patient, as well as the financial funding available to the client, to name a few. For example, some patients and/or families cannot afford the costs associated with private nursing homes; however, from the healthcare delivery side of the financial equation, nursing homes are less costly than are acute care hospitals. Although the two healthcare facilities provide different types of care, it is important to understand and think about acute care facilities and nursing homes within a broader context. The following figure effectively illustrates the broader context and how the differences are indeed necessary to provide quality care to all levels of needed care in terms of accessibility, accountability and affordability. Interestingly, there is some overlap as some nursing homes also provide acute short time care:

See diagram in attached response.

Contrast by definition and type of services offered:

By definition, an acute care hospital is a hospital that provides short-term patient care. www.century-health.com/glossary.asp Acute care hospitals may offer inpatient services, out patient services, continuous nursing services, pharmacy services, food services, and necessary ancillary services. http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/fsl/HHHACS_Hospitals.htm

In contrast, nursing facilities are premises that are also referred to as long term care (LTC) for chronically ill patients, and other types of ailments that are deemed to need long term care. According to National Health Act (1953) nursing homes are premises a) that are fitted, furnished and staffed for the purpose of providing accommodation and nursing care for patients who, by reason of infirmity or illness, disease, incapacity or disability, have a continuing need for nursing care; and (b) In which patients of that kind are received and lodged exclusively for the purpose of providing them with accommodation and nursing care. Source: National Health Act 1953
www.fedhealth.com.au/Rules/Normal/36/

Nursing homes: Type of ...