Various departments of the hospital

department of health care department

1. VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OF THE HOSPITAL DR.ANJALATCHI M.SC(N) MBA(HA) MD(AM) ERA UNIVERSITY

2. DEFINITION OF HOSPITAL According to WHO, “Hospital is an integral part of social medical organisation, the function of which is to provide for the population complete health care, curative , preventiv e, rehabilative and who se out patient services reach out to the family and its home environment. The hospital is also a centre for training of health workers and for bio-social research.”

3. CASUA L TY This department, also known as the accident and emergency department deals with patients who have been brought in by an ambulance in an emergency situation. Sometimes patients find their own way to this department to in case they have had an accident or seek immediate treatment. This department works 24/7 and is equipped to deal with all sorts of emergencies. The patients are assessed according to the degree of injury or emergency and then provided immediate treatment before being sent to a specialised department for further treatment. The Platt Report in 1962 gave birth to the official title of “Accident and Emergency Service”. This report stated the provisions that are to be followed for the smooth functioning of this department.

4. CARDIOLOGY The department as the name suggests deals with problems of the human heart or circulation. It treats people on an inpatient and outpatient basis. Some of their procedures include: Ele c trocardi o g ra m (E C G) an d exerc ise te st s t o meas u r e th e hea r t function Ultrasound scan of the heart ( Echocardiogram) Scans of the carotid artery in the neck to determine risks of stroke Insertion of pacemakers Coronary angiography to see if there are any blocks in the arteries Medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology Cardiac surgery

5. CRITICAL CARE This department also known as the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) provides treatment for seriously ill patients. Certain patients need to be isolated and require close and individual medical attention.  Th e IC U ha s v e ry specialist doctors f e w b e d s an d i s u s ua lly m a n n e d by and nurses as well as consultant anaesthetists, physiotherapists and dieticians.  Patients can be transferred from any department to the ICU in case the patient’s condition gets worse.

6. GENERAL SURGERY wid e Th i s d e p a r t m e nt a s t h e n am e s u g ge s ts i n c l u d e s a variety of surgical procedures that include: Day surgery Thyroid surgery Kidney transplants Colon surgery Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal) Endoscopy Breast surgery  Day surgeries see a lot of patients coming in for minor surgeries such as hernia repairs, piles, ... These procedures are normally performed by general surgeons and do not normally require special surgeons.

7. MATERNITY/NEONATAL / PAEDIATRICS All facilities concerning giving birth and child care is provided in this department. In some hospitals these can be divided into three different departments but most general hospitals provide this care under one department itself. Some of the facilities or treatments include: Child birth Midwifery Antenatal and post natal care Pregnancy check ups Surgical procedures on children or mothers

8. GYNAECOLOGY  This department deals with the investigation and treatment of problems of the female reproductive system.  In f er t i l i ty, problems i n c onti n e n c e an d e n dometr i tis ar e som e o f the i nvest i ga t e d i n thi s d e p a r t m e n t . Other se r v ices include cervical smear screen and post-menopausal bleeding checks.  This department usually has a special ward, day surgery unit, an emergency gynaecology assessment unit and outpatient clinics.

9. ANEASTHETICS Doctors in this department administer anaesthesia for patients for various procedures and surgeries. They provide the following services: Acute pain services post surgery Chronic pain services for patients suffering from bone related illnesses like arthritis Critical care services for those suffering from trauma Obstetri c s anaest h e si a an d a nal g esia l i k e epi d urals during childbirth and anaesthesia for C-sections.

10. EARS, NOSE AND THROAT As the name suggests, this department deals with ailments concerned with the Ear, nose and throat and it includes treatment of a variety of ailments like : General ear, nose and throat diseases Neck lumps Cancers of the head and neck area Tear duct problems Facial skin lesions Balance and hearing disorders Snoring and sleep apnoea ENT allergy problems Salivary gland diseases Voice disorders ENT surgical procedures

11. NEUROLOGY Neurology deals with the human nervous system. The doctors in this department investigate and treat patients for problems that affect their brain and spinal cord. Surgical procedures on the brain and spinal cord are extremely dangerous and require highly qualified and experienced doctors and nurses to provide such special care. Neurologists examine patients who have been referred to them by other physicians in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. A neurologist will begin their interaction with a patient by taking a comprehensive medical history, and then perform a physical examination focusing on evaluating the nervous system. Components of the neurological examination include assessment of the patient's cognitive function, cranial nerves, motor strength, sensation, reflexes, coordination, and gait.

12. OPTHALMOLOGY This department deals with the investigation and treatment of eye problems of adults and children. Their services include: General eye clinic appointments Laser treatments Optometry Orthoptics Prosthetic eye services Ophthalmic imaging

13. ORTHOPEDICS Th i s d e p a r t m e nt d e al s with prob l e m s t h a t af f ec t the musculoskeletal system. That includes treating bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. Services include bone setting, surgeries to repair damaged bones or ligaments or tendons, replacing bones like hip replacement, knee cap replacement ... Other outpatient services also include treating fractures and dislocated joints, musculoskeletal injuries and soft tissue injuries.

14. PSYCHIATRY This department deals with investigating and treating patients with a wide range of mental illnesses and disorders. Some services include: Providing psychosocial counselling Investigating, diagnosing and treating psychiatric illnesses Conducting IQ tests Deaddiction services

15. OUTPATIENT In this department people come to the hospital only for a consult and not admission. The patients seek medical advice from a specific department depending on their problem and doctors provide a prescription of medication for them to take for a certain period of time. Patients are then asked to come back for a follow up. Patient’s treatment within the boundaries of the hospital lasts only a day. Outpatient department runs for specific time during the day. Consultant doctors are usually brought in to handle OPD.

16. INPAT I ENT This department admits patients at least overnight for treatment. Here a case history of the patient will be taken and the patient will have a case sheet in which his progress will be recorded. Patients are monitored throughout the day by nurses and doctors come on rounds to check on the patients conditions. The duration of stay will depend on severity of the patient’s illness.

17. OTHER MEDICAL DEPARTMENT Pulmonary department Dermatology Dentistry Gastrology Urology Oncology Geriatrics

18. CENTRAL STERILIZATION UNIT (CSSD) This department is in charge of keeping all the instruments used in the hospital clean and sterilised to avoid spreading of infections throughout the hospital. They follow a strict procedure for sterilizing medical and surgical instruments.

19. PHYSIOTHERAPY This department aims at rehabilitating patients. Mostly linked to the orthopaedics department this department offers a wide range of body healing therapies that will help a patient resume normal functioning. This department offers outpatient as well as inpatient services.

20. PHARM A CY which provides drugs for the entire hospital. It not only provides medication for patients but also provides other drugs and instruments used by all the departments in the hospital for patient care or surgeries... Run by a pharmacist the pharmacy provides the following services: Purch a s e , s upp l y an d d ist r i b uti o n o f me d i c atio n a nd pharmaceuticals Inpatient and outpatient dispensing Clinical and ward pharmacy  Doctors are usually given a formulary of medication by the pharmacy to use as a guide.  Ever y ho s pital must be equipped with a pharmacy

21. DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING Also known as the department of radiology, this department provides the following services: General radiology (X-rays) Scans for Accidents and Emergency Mammography (breast scans) Ultrasound scans Angiography (x-ray of blood vessels) Interventional Radiology (minimal invasive procedures) CT scanning MRI scanning (3D scans using magnetic and radio waves) Patients are sent to this department for the above mentioned services as other departments do not have the required devices to perform diagnostic imaging. After the service is provided, reports will be given about the imaging and that report will have to be handed over to the department from which the imaging was requested.

22. NUTRITION AND DIETITICS This department is manned with specialist in nutrition and dietetics. They are assigned to provide professional advice on diet for hospital inpatient wards as well as outpatient departments . Certain departments require that the patient be put on a diet and therefore the team works with many other departments that treat : Diabetes Cancer Kidney problems Paediatrics Elderly care Surgery and critical care Gastroenterology These specialists can also suggest a dietary chart to be followed by the hospital canteen to ensure that all patients get nutritious food during their stay at the hospital.

23. MEDICAL SOCIAL WORK  This department manned with medical s o cial workers help patients and their families d e al with a broad range of psychosocial issues and stresses related to coping with illness and maintaining health.  This department addresses the challenges families face, increase accessibility to healthcare, and serves as a bridge between the doctors and the individual, family, and community.

24. HOUSEKEEPING  Thi s depa r tment is in c h a r ge of kee p i n g the hospital clean and neat .  It involves doing the laundry and cleaning all the rooms of the hospital and effectively disposing of medical waste according to strict hospital disposal procedures. CATERING AND FOOD SERVICES  Thi s de p a r tment p r ovides f o o d servic e s to inpatients, their families and staff of the hospital based on a nutritional m en u p r o vi d e d b y the Nutrition Department.

25. ADMINISTRATION This department is in charge of looking after the day to day operations of the hospital. They look after all the paper work of hospital and ensure that every department follows administrative procedures of the hospital.

26. MEDICAL RECORDS This department deals with recording, and maintaining all the records/files of inpatients as well as outpatients. It is with these records that medical statistics can be formulated and it serves as a reference for future purposes.

27. MEDICAL MAINTENANCE & ENGINEERING This department makes sure that the hospital is in operable condition. I t mak e s p l an s an d ca r r i e s o ut v a r i ous p r o jects for the hospital.  This department mak e s sure that a l l el e c t r i c a l facil i t ies are in pe r fect condition , car r ies out repair and replacement work for air-conditioning units, plumbing, steel works, and general takes care of the overall maintenance of the hospital.

28. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNICATION All hospitals today use computers to keep track of patient records and other medically related affairs. Therefore this department is in charge of providing technical support as when needed and keep the systems updated and provide support when systems crash. They also aim to provide effective online services for patients and help to keep the entire hospital informed of certain events that take place within the hospital.

29. HUMAN RESOURCES This department is given the objective of recruiting efficient human resources for the hospital. It also has the duty of creating policies and procedures that the staff have to follow in the hospital. It aims at ensuring employee satisfaction, good working conditions and provision of monetary and non monetary benefits for the employees. It is also responsible for providing compensation for the services rendered by the employees.

30. FINANCE This department looks after the financial aspects of the hospital. They make budgets, financial plans for the future and allocate financial resources to the various departments of the hospital for their upgradation. They also provide wage statements for the staff and oversee purchases of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals for the hospital.