Long-term care hospitals in Turkey: a review.

A long-term care hospital (LTCH) is a specialized facility for patients with serious health problems who require continuous and intensive care but not comprehensive diagnostic methods. LTCHs provide prolonged complex care and wound care in the period following the acute stage of disease. When intensive care unit (ICU) stay is prolonged in the United States of America, the patients may be transferred to an LTCH. Medicare suggests hospitalization > 25 days in LTCHs. The LTC system in Europe differs from that in other non-European countries and differences are also seen among European countries. In practice, patients who need LTC in Turkey are hospitalized in ICUs. Long term care is a new concept for the Turkish health system and there are no studies on LTCHs in Turkey. A significant proportion of intensive care beds in Turkey are used for long-term hospitalized patients with complex problems. This is a clear waste of resources. The establishment of LTCHs in Turkey would prevent from this waste and provide the opportunity to increase experience of complex treatments.