hospital

Table of Contents

Introduction
History of hospitals
The modern hospital
- Bed number and length of stay
- Ownership and control
- Financing
- The general hospital
- Specialized health and medical care facilities
  - Tuberculosis and leprosy hospitals
  - Mental health facilities
  - Long-term-care facilities
  - Private hospitals
  - The hospice
  - Mission hospitals
  - Extended health care
- Regional planning

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Ancient Greek ruins

Lyon: Hôtel-Dieu

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Patient undergoing dialysis treatment.

Cornell University

X-rays of patients infected with tuberculosis

leprosy treatment centre at Kalaupapa

intensive care unit

For Students

hospital summary

Discover

Small, white rat (genus Rattus) on a glass table. (rodent, laboratory, experiment)

Cruel and Unusual Punishments: 15 Types of Torture

Shah Jahan. Taj Mahal. Mughal architecture. Emperor Shah Jahan fifth Mughal Emperor (reigned 1628-1658) India, Himachal Pradesh, Basohli or Jammu and Kashmir, Mankot, circa 1690 Drawings; Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper (see notes)

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The Lost Colony of Roanoke, North Carolina, where 115 people mysteriously disappeared c. 1590. John White discovers the word Croatoan carved onto a tree upon his return to the deserted Roanoke Colony in 1590

The Lost Colony of Roanoke

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

Data analysis of the Super Bowl's "winningest" teams, game locations, MVP winners by position, teams with the most game losses. football, sports, infographic

From Sport to Spectacle: The History of the Super Bowl

January 21, 2019: Superbowl LIII will be played at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, February 3, 2019 against the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams.

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Horses. Equus caballus. Horse stable. A brown horse looks out from his stall through the window.

Horsing Around: 7 of the Weirdest Racehorse Names in History

hospital: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Hospitals experience busiest week of winter so far • Feb. 5, 2025, 10:40 PM ET (BBC)

Students caught up in police, protestors running battles • Jan. 23, 2025, 9:17 PM ET (The Standard)

Photos and Videos

Ancient Greek ruins

Lyon: Hôtel-Dieu

National Health Service

Patient undergoing dialysis treatment.

Cornell University

X-rays of patients infected with tuberculosis

leprosy treatment centre at Kalaupapa

intensive care unit

caring for hospitalized dementia patients in Ireland

See how robotic couriers deliver meals and perform other tasks at the Jena University Hospital in Germany

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

mission hospital psychiatric hospital general hospital private block outpatient department infirmary Forward Surgical Team mobile army surgical hospital Combat Support Hospital uchastok hospital spa safe injection site blood bank health maintenance organization hospice nursing home history of medicine therapeutics public health diagnosis

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Mendelsohn, Erich: Einstein Tower

Erich Mendelsohn

German architect

Sister Mary Joseph Dempsey

American nurse

Susan Augusta Fenimore Cooper

American writer and philanthropist

James Buchanan Brady

American financier

Dominique-Jean, Baron Larrey

French military surgeon

Thomas Guy, detail of an oil painting by John Vanderbank, 1706

Thomas Guy

British philanthropist

Charles William Mayo

American physician

Quiz

Hagia Sophia. Istanbul, Turkey. Constantinople. Church of the Holy Wisdom. Church of the Divine Wisdom. Mosque.

Architecture: The Built World