Progress in modern medicine and the advent of comprehensive out-patient clinics ensure that patients are only admitted to a hospital when they are extremely ill or have severe physical trauma.
Patients' homes should also be visited and examined before they are discharged from the hospital to determine any immediate challenges and corresponding goals, adaptations and assistive devices that need to be implemented.
The Romans also adopted the concept of inpatient care by building a specialized temple for sick patients in 291 AD on the island of Tiber.
Nightingale gained fame and credibility during the Crimean War where she and 38 women volunteer nurses traveled to Crimea to treat wounded soldiers.
[4] The concept of hospitalist medicine provides around-the-clock inpatient care from physicians whose sole practice is the hospital itself.
In 2011, there were approximately 39 million inpatient stays in the United States, with a national aggregate cost of $387 billion.