Historical Overview of Hospital Systems [WLOs: 1, 3] [CLOs: 1, 4, 6]
Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum,
- Review Chapter 1 from the course text.
- Review the following:
- History of HealthcareLinks to an external site..
- How Good Is the Quality of Healthcare in the United States?
- Review the report The Challenge and Potential for Assuring Quality Health Care for the 21st CenturyLinks to an external site..
- Watch the video History and Development of the U.S. Health Care SystemLinks to an external site..
Prior to the development of public hospital systems, most Americans lived in rural areas and either cared for themselves when sick or relied on a local physician to make house calls. Most births occurred at home along with basic medical procedures. With that said, the concept of a large health care facility to treat sick and mentally ill patients is nothing new; there are historical records dating back as far as the 10th-15th centuries depicting health care systems with very similar concepts and policies seen today. Specifically, quality health care was provided on a large scale for the general public. The first known health care facility in the United States was built in 1751 by Dr. Thomas Bond and Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Compared to hospital systems of the past, our modern facilities incorporate sophisticated and technologically advanced treatment-diagnostic capabilities.
However, ongoing issues persist in the areas of access, cost, and quality of care.
In this week’s discussion address the following prompts. Your initial post should be a minimum of 500 words. In your initial post,
- Discuss two specific medical advancements (in the last 10 years) and the challenges that hospitals face in providing these advancements to all patients equally.
- Discuss the following questions: Can there be quality of life without quality of care for patients? Inversely, can there be quality of care yet no quality of life for patients?
- Describe two historical events that either led to the advancement of U.S. hospital systems or two historical events that impeded the advancement of hospital systems in the U.S.
