The Hospital System No. 8 – Types of Hospital Wards
There are quite a few types of hospital wards in the Japanese medical system, but they are usually classified within one of three broad categories. Today I’m going to introduce these categories.
1. Trauma centers
In this type of ward, patients can receive generalized intensive care, surgery, and mental health treatment. This is where ambulances take patients for initial treatment. One unique characteristic of these hospitals is that they incorporate many different medical divisions such as neurosurgery, pulmonary medicine, gastroenterology, otolaryngology, and psychiatrics.
2. Rehabilitation centers
In this type of ward, patients receive intensive rehabilitative treatment, home recovery care, and resocialization treatment. Because these wards focus on recovery, there is a limited variety of medical divisions. Typically patients are referred to these hospitals from trauma centers. In Japan, only patients whose illnesses have lasted around one to two months can be admitted.
3. Extended recovery wards
Here, patients can recover through long term health and wellness treatment. Most extended recovery patients have experienced at least two months of symptoms. There are also patients ineligible to receive treatment at a rehabilitation center due to a prolonged stay at a trauma center, patients who have experienced 6 months to a year of symptoms, and patients who have ended up bouncing from one extended recovery ward to the next.
At the hospital where I work, there is a rehabilitation center and an extended recovery ward. We accept patients who have progressed beyond the critical point of their illness and who can focus on recovery, as well as those who have been referred due to a prolonged illness.
SYSTEM OF HOSPITAL NO.8〜病棟の種類〜
病院には様々な病棟がありますが、
大まかな種類として3種類の病棟を紹介します。
①急性期病棟
ここでは集中的な全身管理が行われ、手術や先進医療が受けられます。
救急車で最初に運ばれる場所です。
脳外科・呼吸器内科・消火器内科・耳鼻科・精神科など
多くの診療科があるのも特徴です。
②回復期病棟
ここではリハビリを集中的に行い自宅復帰や社会復帰をします。
リハビリが主な目的なので、多くの診療科があるとは限りません。
基本的には急性期病院からの紹介を受けた方が入院します。
日本では病気の発症から1~2カ月以内でなければ、回復期病棟に入れません。
③療養病棟
ここでは長期的な機能維持や全身管理を行いながらリハビリができます。
病気を発症してから2か月以上たった方がほとんどです。
急性期での治療が長引いて回復期病棟に入れなかった方もいれば
病気を発症してから6か月や1年以上経過した方、
療養病棟を転々とされているような方もいます。
私が働く病院では回復期病棟と療養病棟があり、
急性期の状態を脱して、これからリハビリを集中的に行う方や
病気が長期経過した状態からリハビリをすすめる方が入院されています。
ChanomiTalk 