General Medicine

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General medicine is a medical specialty that focuses on infectious disease, wounds and fevers, which require vigilant care. At El Camino Health, specialists from a variety of disciplines work together to find the best medical treatment for our hospitalized patients.

The team is assembled and led by a hospitalist, a board-certified doctor of internal medicine who specializes in inpatient care. Mountain View Hospital (El Camino Hospital) was the first community hospital in the Bay Area to introduce hospitalists to the hospital care team.

The hospitalist is the doctor responsible for admitting you to the hospital. He or she helps manage and coordinate all your care, serving a similar function to your primary care doctor during your hospital stay. Many admitted patients suffer from one acute condition — an illness with a rapid onset and short duration — but have one or more chronic conditions that need to be addressed while hospitalized. Your hospitalist informs and consults the specialists for each care issue. Hospitalists also serve as the admitting doctors for cardiology, surgical, gastroenterology, stroke and neurosurgical patients.

While a specialist covers acute conditions, the hospitalist remains involved to coordinate all the services you need, facilitate communication among care providers, and provide a constant presence.

When you leave the hospital, your hospitalist will give your primary care doctor a full summary of your care, treatment plan and medications so your doctor can provide appropriate follow-up care.

We focus on the comfort and care of patients admitted for:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Our specialized COPD program provides coordinated care and continued monitoring to help you stay healthy and out of the hospital.
• Diabetes. Diabetes is one of the most complex diseases to manage. In our diabetes education program, nurse educators teach hospitalized patients with diabetes how to care for themselves.
• Infectious disease, including influenza. We use the latest diagnostic and therapeutic techniques to control infectious illness. Prevention plays a major role in every aspect of care at El Camino Health.
• Sepsis. The latest technology and best practices make our program effective in combating the serious risk of sepsis, the body’s inflammatory response to infection.
• Wound care. El Camino Health offers advanced prevention therapies and extensive expertise in complex wound care management.

Many of our patients are elderly or struggling with dementia or other geriatric issues. They receive sensitive care guided by the NICHE Program (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders), which promotes practices that enhance quality and patient care for older adults.