Unit 5: Patient Care: Medieval Flashcards
What were the dates of the medieval period?
500 to 1450
What role did the church play in patient care?
Churches were in charge of looking after the sick and elderly.
How did churches view illness?
Saw illness to be divine punishment from God.
What were the 3 main types of hospitals in the medieval period?
- Monastery hospitals
- Leper houses
- Almshouses
Leper houses…
Provided food and shelter for lepers.
What were almshouses?
Hospitals developed to serve the poor.
What were the conditions of hospitals like in the Middle Ages?
The sick would share beds and it was often cramped.
What jobs did patients have to do?
Sweep the floor, look after kitchen gardens and collect eggs from the coops.
What would monks/nuns do for the sick?
They would pray for them to get better and provide shelter and food for them, they would not treat the patients. This is because they believed treating illness goes against God.
Was there change of continuity?
No change/continuity!
Help/hinder factors
(Hinder) Nuns/monks would not treat illness as it goes against God, meaning people could not access proper treatment for their conditions. People were sharing beds which caused illness to spread.
