Acute care setting is a healthcare setting that is focused on the active treatment of short-term needs. Acute care can be a set of procedures that are integrated into long-term care. Emergency care can be provided in group homes, nursing homes, or at the patient’s place of residence. Doctors can also provide emergency care in a hospital or doctor’s office. This paper aims to describe the acute care setting and its pros and cons.
The elements of the acute care setting include equipment for the care of patients with injuries as a result of accidents. Patients may also have sudden medical needs, such as opening an airway, providing assistance after a drowning, fire, frostbite, or drug overdose. Therefore, doctors in the acute care setting must have all the tools and medical preparations to save the lives of patients, while working in rapidly changing conditions.
Pros of the acute setting include flexibility and mobility, which allows you to quickly respond to challenges. Specialized tools and practices learned by emergency physicians allow patients with sudden deterioration in health to be treated quickly. The cons of the acute care setting include the inability to respond quickly enough due to overcrowding, that is, an excessive number of patients assigned to one center of acute care. For example, patients with acute but not urgent needs will also receive treatment in acute care, although they could be treated on an outpatient basis. I chose the acute care setting because the most intensive therapy is provided here, which requires doctors to demonstrate high professionalism. While studying materials on the chosen topic, I realized that doctors in acute care can face obstacles related to the organization of space and processes of service provision and these obstacles can cost the lives of some patients.
Thus, the acute care setting was described, including its importance, background, pros and cons, and integration within the other settings. The acute care setting is aimed at providing immediate care and can be both a separate institution and a part of the facilities that provide long-term care. Mastery of first-aid practices and the ability to use special tools allow doctors to provide quality services. Room planning, occupancy, and other elements are extremely important, as they can be decisive when a doctor has to save a life and has only a few minutes.
Reference
Understanding the three types of acute care and the staffing needs of each. (2021). HealthStream.