In Israel, a report was released detailing the characteristics of hospitalizations in internal departments from 2010 to 2022. The findings show a 3% decrease in hospitalizations over the years, which is attributed to improvements in medicine, the establishment of home and day hospitalization systems for chronic patients, and more. Despite this decrease, the majority of those hospitalized are elderly, with 65% being 65 years old or older, representing an increase in the age of those hospitalized in the last decade.
The average number of hospitalization days is just three days, with health insurance funds providing a financial limit for hospitals. This has led to an increase in short-term hospitalizations as hospitals are incentivized to discharge patients early. About 20% of hospitalized patients are re-hospitalized within a month.
Higher rates of hospitalization are recorded in peripheral areas in the north and south of the country, while the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem districts have the lowest rates. This is due to higher socioeconomic populations that prioritize health as well as investments in preventive medicine and medical services in these regions.
Professionals in the medical system acknowledge the challenges faced by internal medicine wards due to an increase in population and aging. They are working to address these challenges through infrastructure improvement, adding medical personnel, and implementing quality improvement initiatives. The ministry is also working to strengthen internal departments and specialists to alleviate the burden on the healthcare system.
