Post-hospital syndrome: Tips to keep yourself or a loved one healthy after hospitalization

If you or a loved one have ever been hospitalized, you know that the primary focus of the hospital team is on diagnosing and treating the condition that put you in the hospital in the first place. The medical team works to treat a patient’s condition until the patient has improved enough to continue treatment and recovery out of the hospital. But recent findings have brought attention to an important issue that doesn’t strike until after you’ve left the hospital — post-hospital syndrome. What is post-hospital syndrome? Post-hospital syndrome can be defined as a period of vulnerability lasting up to seven weeks after a patient is discharged from the hospital. This period of vulnerability leaves people at increased risk for rehospitalization from a diverse range of conditions, which are often separate from the original cause of hospital admission. Some patients even face an increased risk of death during this period. Post-hospital syndrome is caused, in part, by ongoing effects of the original illness. For example, someone who has been hospitalized for pneumonia may experience lingering fatigue, reduced strength, foggy thinking, or constipation after leaving the hospital. But while providing needed treatment, hospitalization also wreaks havoc on a patient’s physical and emotional stability, and these disruptions also contribute to post-hospital syndrome. During hospitalization, for example, a patient is likely to encounter changes to their diet, routine, sleep pattern...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Caregiving Health Healthy Aging Managing your health care Source Type: blogs