in-patient
Definition
Noun: A patient who is admitted to a hospital for treatment that requires at least one overnight stay, as opposed to an outpatient who visits for treatment without staying overnight.
Usage Examples
- (He was admitted to stay in the hospital.)
- (Treatment provided to admitted patients.)
- (A dedicated area for overnight patients.)
Advanced Usage
"In-patient status": the official classification of a patient as requiring hospital admission.
- Her condition worsened, so the hospital changed her to in-patient status. (She was formally admitted for overnight care.)
"In-patient facility": a medical institution that provides overnight accommodation and care.
- The rehabilitation center is an in-patient facility for recovering addicts. (A place where patients stay overnight for treatment.)
Variants and Related Words
In-patient care (noun phrase): medical treatment provided to patients who stay overnight in a hospital.
- In-patient care includes meals, nursing, and round-the-clock monitoring. (Comprehensive services for admitted patients.)
In-patient unit (noun phrase): a specific department or ward within a hospital for admitted patients.
- The psychiatric in-patient unit has 20 beds. (A dedicated area for overnight psychiatric treatment.)
Synonyms
- Hospitalized patient: a patient who is confined to a hospital for treatment.
- Admitted patient: a person officially registered for an overnight stay in a medical facility.
Antonyms
- Out-patient: a patient who receives medical treatment without being admitted to the hospital overnight.
- Unlike an in-patient, an out-patient visits the clinic and returns home the same day.
Related Idioms
- "Keep someone as an in-patient": to decide that a person must stay in the hospital for treatment.
- The emergency team decided to keep him as an in-patient for a few days. (They admitted him for overnight care.)