What is subacute care?

Subacute care is essential to the healthcare system because it provides intermediate medical and rehabilitative services between hospitalization and home care. This form of care is provided to patients who require a longer period to recover than is possible in a critical care setting, but who do not require long-term care. Subacute care encompasses a wide range of remedies for physical and mental health conditions, from wound management to complex post-surgical recovery. What are subacute services?

What are subacute care?

Subacute care is medical assistance provided between hospitalization and discharge. Those who have sustained an acute illness, injury, or exacerbation of a chronic condition receive comprehensive medical care. Subacute care focuses on restoring patients’ independence after hospitalization and preventing future hospitalizations.

Nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, long-term acute care hospitals, and ambulatory facilities can provide subacute care. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and specialized nursing services are typical services.

Physicians and other health professionals closely monitor patients to ensure they receive the necessary treatment to achieve their recovery objectives. In addition to medical therapies, subacute programs provide patients transitioning from the hospital to the community with social support services, such as emotional counseling.

Variations on subacute care

There are two primary subacute care types:

Inpatient services.

Inpatient subacute care requires a patient to remain in a healthcare facility for extensive treatments, including wound management, intravenous therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, medication management, nutritional counseling, and pain management, among others. This service enables patients recovering from surgery or illness to return home as quickly as feasible.

Outpatient services

Outpatient subacute care provides ongoing treatment for patients with complex medical conditions, but does not necessitate hospitalization. Outpatient services provide a variety of medical tests and treatments in a clinic by appointment.

ailments requiring subacute treatment

Patients who may require subacute care typically have conditions that are too severe for home health care but do not necessitate the intensive level of care offered in an acute care setting. These consist of:

Recovery and rehabilitation after a stroke
Neurological impairment
Orthopedic concerns including fractures and joint replacements
Respiratory illness
Wound management
Pediatric subacute care

Pediatric subacute care is essential for children who require additional medical care and specialized treatment. Subacute care is evidence-based and intended to assist infants, children, and adolescents recover from illness or injury more quickly than in a conventional hospital setting.

It provides a transition between the hospital and the patient’s home while assuring the highest quality of individualized care for each patient. Subacute care for children aims to improve outcomes by managing symptoms, optimizing functioning, addressing medical requirements, and preventing complications associated with chronic illnesses or injuries.

In addition to physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and respiratory therapy, this form of care may also include nutrition counseling, psychological evaluation, and social work services.

Positive aspects of subacute nursing care

Patients receive subacute care in a residential setting, as opposed to being admitted to a hospital for long-term care. Subacute nursing care offers numerous advantages to both patients and their families.

Subacute nursing is advantageous for patients because it provides comprehensive medical care in a home-like setting near to family and friends.
Providing individualized, high-quality care, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech-language pathology services, this form of healthcare aims to facilitate recovery and maximize independence.
Subacute nursing provides assistance from experienced and highly competent nurses who focus on restoring an individual’s strength and mobility through physical therapy, disease management education, and nutrition counseling.
Subacute nurses offer emotional support to patients’ families by informing them of available community resources for post-discharge follow-up care.
Difficulties of prolonged care
One of the most difficult tasks for caregivers is determining the level of medical care each patient requires.
Subacute care requires more medical supervision than conventional long-term care but less intensive monitoring than acute care.
Therefore, it can be difficult to determine when to transition patients from one level of care to another in order to maximize their health outcomes while minimizing unnecessary costs.
Due to their extensive staffing requirements and specialized apparatus demands, subacute services are typically more expensive than other levels of care.
Finding the optimal equilibrium between providing quality medical and nursing care and avoiding unnecessary interventions is the greatest obstacle. The majority of subacute patients have conditions that would benefit from more intensive treatment.

Acute care vs. subacute care

As two distinct categories of care used to treat medical conditions, acute care and subacute care are commonly contrasted in the healthcare industry. Acute care focuses on treating conditions that require immediate medical attention, such as injuries or ailments that necessitate hospitalization and intensive medical treatment.

Subacute care is for patients who no longer require acute care but still need ongoing medical care or who have been evacuated from the hospital but require more care than can be provided at home. Typical subacute contexts include nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and other long-term facilities that provide skilled nursing services around the clock.

Subacute versus Skilled Nursing Care

Subacute care and skilled nursing are both forms of health care, but there are significant distinctions between the two. Subacute care is intended to bridge the gap between hospitalization and discharge home. It is typically administered in a hospital or similar setting.

In contrast, skilled nursing typically entails round-the-clock medical care that is tailored to the patient’s specific requirements. With access to comprehensive medical services and support personnel, skilled nursing can affect a patient’s stay in a rehabilitation or long-term care facility.

Subacute care centers on assisting patients in their transition from acute hospital stays to a more independent lifestyle at home, while also providing therapies such as physical and occupational therapy.

Post-acute care vs subacute care

Post-acute and subacute care refers to the provision of medical services after a patient has been discharged from an acute hospital setting. Post-acute care is typically provided in a setting distinct from the hospital, such as a skilled nursing facility, home health agency, or short-term rehabilitation center. Subacute care, on the other hand, is more intensive and specialized than post-acute care and may be administered in a facility for intermediate-level care.

Post-acute care typically entails providing general medical and rehabilitation services to patients who no longer require acute hospitalization but still require assistance with activities of daily living like bathing, dressing, and feeding. Physical and occupational therapy may also be used to enhance functional ability.

What does subacute mean in medical terminology?

What does a subacute care facility look like?

What differentiates acute care from subacute care?

Acute and subacute care are two distinct types of available medical care. Acute care is intended to provide intensive medical services for a brief period, during which the patient’s health typically deteriorates swiftly. Subacute care, on the other hand, is designed for individuals with chronic medical conditions or disabilities who require long-term support.

Patients requiring emergent care are frequently referred to an emergency room for immediate treatment by specially trained physicians and nurses. The objective is to stabilize their condition as soon as feasible so they can return home or be transferred to another facility. Subacute care includes comprehensive services, such as physical and occupational therapy, that assist chronically ailing patients in managing their symptoms and enhancing their quality of life over time.

What is subacute care also referred to as?

Subacute care, also known as post-acute or transitional care, is provided to patients who have recently been discharged from the hospital but may not be well enough to return home. Subacute care is typically administered in a skilled nursing facility, but it can also be administered via telehealth or at home with the appropriate monitoring equipment.

This form of care focuses frequently on rehabilitation and recuperation therapies, such as physical and occupational therapy. In addition to these therapies, subacute facilities may also employ nurses, dietitians, social workers, and other healthcare professionals specializing in assisting hospitalized patients with their recovery.

Bottom line

Subacute care is a vital medical service that provides specialized care to hospitalized patients who are not yet ready to return home. It bridges the divide between hospital inpatient care and home care.

It permits providers to continue treating a patient’s underlying diseases or conditions while assisting them in regaining their independence. Nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, long-term acute care hospitals, and outpatient clinics frequently provide subacute care.

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