The Changing Role of the Hospital in European Health Systems

A team of world-leading policy experts and clinicians analyse the changing role of the hospital across Europe.

Martin McKee (Edited by), Sherry Merkur (Edited by), Nigel Edwards (Edited by), Ellen Nolte (Edited by), Jonathan North (Assisted by)

9781108790055, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 13 August 2020

324 pages, 26 b/w illus. 10 tables
22.7 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.47 kg

Recent experience shows that advances in medical and information technology, far from making hospitals obsolete, increase our dependence on them and they are here to stay. While the conclusion of this  thoughtful volume is that it is impossible to know what the hospitals of the future will look like, the authors nonetheless highlight the main societal and technological influences that will shape them.  Those responsible for our future planning, if their crystal ball is hazy, could do no better than consult this lucid account of these key factors. Sir Ian Gilmore, Director, Liverpool Centre for Alcohol Research

Hospitals today face a huge number of challenges, including new patterns of disease, rapidly evolving medical technologies, ageing populations and continuing budget constraints. This book is written by clinicians for clinicians and hospital managers, and those who design and operate hospitals. It sets out why hospitals need to change as the patients they treat and the technology to treat them changes. In a series of chapters by leading authorities in their field, it challenges existing models, reviews best practice from many countries and presents clear policy recommendations for policymakers and hospital administrators. It covers the main patient groups and conditions as well as those departments that make modern effective care possible, in imaging and laboratory medicine. Each chapter looks at patient pathways, aspects of workforce, required levels of specialisation and technology, and the opportunities and challenges for optimising the delivery of services in the hospital of the future. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Part I: 1. Introduction: The changing nature of care provided in the hospital Martin McKee, Sherry Merkur, Nigel Edwards and Ellen Nolte
2. The challenges of adapting hospital care for children Jochen Ehrich, Massimo Pettoello-Mantovan, Eleanor Molloy, Reinhold Kerbl, Mehmet Vural, Simon Lenton, Stefano del Torso, Adamos Hadjipanayis, Björn Wettergren and Zachi Grossman
3. Patients with stroke Benjamin Bray, Anthony Rudd, Phil White, Bo Norrving and Charles Wolfe
4. Meeting the needs of frail older patients Sherena Nair, David Oliver and Alison Cracknell
5. Oncological hospital care Anke Wind, Wim van Harten, Sigbjørn Smeland, Lucia da Pieve and Wim Groen
Part II: 6. COPD as an exemplar of a chronic health condition C. Michael Roberts, Jose Luis Lopez-Campos and Robab Breyer-Kohansal
7. Emergency medicine Matthew Cooke, Clifford Mann and Nigel Edwards
8. Advances in perioperative medicine Marc Wittenberg, Harry Thirkettle and Michael Grocott
9. Advances in imaging Peter Cavanagh
10. Advances in laboratory medicine Rachael Liebmann and Digby Ingle
11. Conclusions: Challenges for hospitals of the future Martin McKee, Sherry Merkur, Nigel Edwards and Ellen Nolte.

Subject Areas: Science funding & policy [PDK], Health systems & services [MBP], Personal & public health [MBNH], Health economics [KCQ]