Hospital facts for kids
A hospital is a special place where people go to get help when they are sick or hurt. What makes a hospital different from a clinic or a doctor's office is that hospitals have beds. This means patients can stay overnight if they need a lot of care. These patients are called inpatients. Hospitals also help people who don't need to stay overnight; they are called outpatients. Many doctors and nurses work at hospitals. They use amazing medical tools and machines to help patients get better.
When patients stay at a hospital, doctors and nurses are always there to look after them. Hospitals have all the special equipment and tools needed to treat many different kinds of sickness and injuries.
The word "hospital" originally meant "a place where people can stay." Hospitals have been around for a very long time, even in ancient times. Often, religious groups started and ran these early hospitals. Later, rich people and governments began to give money to hospitals. Today, hospitals get their money from different places. This can include government funding, fees from patients, health insurance, or even donations from people.
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What is a Hospital?
A hospital is a healthcare building that offers medical care. It provides both short-term and long-term care for patients. Hospitals have special departments for different types of health problems. They also have emergency rooms for urgent situations.
Who Works at a Hospital?
Many different people work together in a hospital. Doctors diagnose illnesses and perform treatments. Nurses provide daily care and help patients recover. There are also surgeons, pharmacists, lab technicians, and many other staff members. Everyone works as a team to help patients.
How Hospitals Help Patients
Hospitals are equipped to handle many health issues. They can perform surgeries, give medicines, and do tests like X-rays or blood tests. They also help people recover from accidents or serious illnesses. The goal is always to make patients healthy again.
History of Hospitals
Hospitals have a long and interesting history. In ancient times, places like the Askleipion in Greece were healing centers. People would go there for rest and treatment.
Early Hospitals Around the World
Some of the earliest hospitals were found in places like Sri Lanka. Ruins of a two thousand-year-old hospital were discovered in Anuradhapura. In the Americas, the Hospital San Nicolás de Bari in the Dominican Republic was built between 1514 and 1541. It is recognized as the oldest hospital built in the Americas.
Hospitals in Modern Times
In the 1700s, more hospitals started to be built. These were often funded by donations. Guy's Hospital in London, established in 1724, is an example. In the United States, Pennsylvania Hospital was founded in 1751. It was the first public hospital there.
Florence Nightingale's Impact
A very important person in hospital history is Florence Nightingale. She worked in a hospital ward at Scutari and helped make hospitals much cleaner and safer. Her work changed how modern hospitals are run.
Modern Hospitals Today
Today's hospitals are very advanced. They use the latest technology to help people. Many modern hospitals have unique architecture, like the medical center at the University of Virginia. Others, like the National Health Service Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital in the UK, have a more practical design.
Specialized Hospital Units
Hospitals often have special areas for different needs. An intensive care unit (ICU) is a place for patients who need very close attention. A Resuscitation room is where doctors treat people with serious trauma very quickly.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Starship Children's Health is a children's hospital in Auckland, New Zealand
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Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami's Health District, a big teaching hospital in the United States
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McMaster University Medical Centre is a teaching hospital in Hamilton, Ontario
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This map shows how many hospital beds there are for every 1000 people in different countries (2013).
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A Resuscitation room after helping someone with a serious trauma. It shows the advanced equipment in modern hospitals.
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A view of the Askleipion of Kos, an ancient Greek healing center.
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Ruins of a two thousand-year-old hospital in Anuradhapura, Mihintale, Sri Lanka.
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A hospital ward in France during the 1500s.
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An engraving from 1820 of Guy's Hospital in London, one of the first hospitals started by donations in 1724.
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The ruins of the Hospital San Nicolás de Bari in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It's the oldest hospital built in the Americas, from 1514-1541.
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Pennsylvania Hospital in the United States. It was founded in 1751 and was the first public hospital in the country.
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A hospital ward at Scutari where Florence Nightingale worked to improve hospital care.
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Clinical Hospital Dubrava in Zagreb, Croatia.
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The medical center at the University of Virginia shows how modern hospitals often have unique designs.
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The entrance to the National Health Service Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital in the UK, showing a common design for many modern hospitals.
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A hospital chapel at Fawcett Memorial Hospital in Port Charlotte, Florida.
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Hinduja National Hospital, Mumbai.
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An intensive care unit (ICU) inside a hospital.
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Uniklinikum Aachen in Germany.
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Tampere University Hospital in Tampere, Finland.
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All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi, India.
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Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
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See also
In Spanish: Hospital para niños
