Hospitalists

Hospitalists are physicians whose primary professional focus is the general medical care of hospitalized patients. Their activities include patient care, teaching, research, and leadership related to Hospital Medicine.

History

The term 'hospitalist' was first coined by Robert Wachter and Lee Goldman in a 1996 New England Journal of Medicine article. The growth of hospital medicine in the United States has been rapid, growing from a few hundred hospitalists in the 1990s to over 50,000 in 2019.

Roles and Responsibilities

Hospitalists have a broad range of responsibilities, including the clinical care of inpatients, coordination of patient care with other specialists, and ensuring the quality of care in the hospital. They often work in shifts, similar to emergency medicine physicians, and are generally not responsible for outpatient care.

Training and Qualifications

Hospitalists are typically trained in internal medicine, though some are trained in family medicine or other specialties. Some hospitalists complete additional fellowship training in hospital medicine or related fields.

Benefits of Hospitalists

There are several potential benefits to the hospitalist model of care. These include improved patient outcomes, reduced length of stay, and improved hospital efficiency. However, these benefits are not universally accepted and there is ongoing debate in the medical community about the role of hospitalists.

Criticisms of Hospitalists

Critics of the hospitalist model argue that it can lead to fragmented care and a loss of the traditional doctor-patient relationship. Some also argue that hospitalists may be less familiar with a patient's medical history than their primary care physician.

See Also

• Internal Medicine
• Family Medicine
• Emergency Medicine

References

Hospitalists Resources
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