Wholly Healthy: Changing Conditions for Hospital Admission

When we take our sick or injured loved ones to the hospital, we often hope that they will be admitted. In many instances this is a very reasonable request. When heart or lung disease are at work, when severe infections, dehydration, fractures or strokes occur, admission may well be the only option.

However, sometimes our desire to admit our family members is a throwback to a simpler time in medicine, particularly where the elderly are concerned. I don’t know how many times I have heard this, or some variation: “Doc, I know you say she’s fine, and all the tests are normal, but if you could just put Mama in for a few days so she could get some rest, I think it would work wonders.”

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