Several criteria are used to classify hospitals: the types of medical problems

they treat ( general or specialized ), their patienys average length of stay

( short term or long term ) , their size , their ownership ( government owned ) ,
voluntary , or proprietary ) , and their role in to medical education ( teaching or
non teaching )
General or specialized
General hospital provide acute , short term ( 30 days or less ) care to adult
patient for a broad spectrum of medical or sugical conditions , and may provide
pediatric and maternity services as well. Most hospitals in the . United states
are in this category and most have berween 200 and 300 beds . speciality
hospital have been established for specific areas of medical care , such as
psychiatry , orthopedics , pediatrics , maternity care , and disiese of the ear ,
nose and throat .
Special hospital treat particular categories of patients who may require
treatment which is unobtainable in a general hospital or who need special
techniques of isolation and restraint .
The first hospital exclusively for the mentally ill was built in virginia in
1773 . since then the trend has continued towards specialized treatment of
psychiatric patinent in medical hospitals.