The hospitals of the 1950s were characterized by how they responded to World War Two.
The postwar hospital relied on three things: the belief in science as liberation, a rational solution to the problems of existence and the importance of fostering a sense of belonging with an emphasis on human resources.
Unfortunately an increased cost sectionalized elderly and the poor. In turn this made the reliance on national government one of great importance. Masses swarmed towards Medicare and Medicaid. The 1950s is basically a transitional period.
The giant hospitals of the past were being replaced by small community based hospitals. The average local hospital had less than 100 beds. However even though the size of the hospital was shrinking, the short term focus was still stressed. That said an increased amount of hospitals also had benefits around the community.
They were major local employers. In 1960 these local short-term hospitals employed over one million people. As their role in society increased hospital policy focused on construction as more were created they stressed their focus to addressing the problems in society.
The community hospital upheld the values of social stability, community building and charity. Their idea of charity was strictly related to a "paternalistic version of social welfare." It was a gift from those that could afford it to those who could not. There was nothing dictating these rights.
As the split between community and teaching institutions became deeper, the face of a hospital became an issue of importance. It was no longer acceptable for a hospital to just serve a community. They had to provide service with a smile. We wanted our medicine to have a personality.
The public wanted access to technology and they all wanted to have this service. Unfortunately it wasn't possible to achieve both of these goals. The policy of community conflicted with social expectations of what the hospitals actually were. An expansion of technology came to mark the 1950s, and it started to change the hospital once again.
The postwar hospital relied on three things: the belief in science as liberation, a rational solution to the problems of existence and the importance of fostering a sense of belonging with an emphasis on human resources.
Unfortunately an increased cost sectionalized elderly and the poor. In turn this made the reliance on national government one of great importance. Masses swarmed towards Medicare and Medicaid. The 1950s is basically a transitional period.
The giant hospitals of the past were being replaced by small community based hospitals. The average local hospital had less than 100 beds. However even though the size of the hospital was shrinking, the short term focus was still stressed. That said an increased amount of hospitals also had benefits around the community.
They were major local employers. In 1960 these local short-term hospitals employed over one million people. As their role in society increased hospital policy focused on construction as more were created they stressed their focus to addressing the problems in society.
The community hospital upheld the values of social stability, community building and charity. Their idea of charity was strictly related to a "paternalistic version of social welfare." It was a gift from those that could afford it to those who could not. There was nothing dictating these rights.
As the split between community and teaching institutions became deeper, the face of a hospital became an issue of importance. It was no longer acceptable for a hospital to just serve a community. They had to provide service with a smile. We wanted our medicine to have a personality.
The public wanted access to technology and they all wanted to have this service. Unfortunately it wasn't possible to achieve both of these goals. The policy of community conflicted with social expectations of what the hospitals actually were. An expansion of technology came to mark the 1950s, and it started to change the hospital once again.