February 2, 2012

• Handy Hospital Tips

  I Talk a lot about what it’s like being a resident on here, and even more about the hospital behind the scenes that you dont see. 

   

  But that got me thinking, what is it like behind the scenes as a patient? I spend a ton of time in the hospital and yet I am rarely sick enough to require it. But some patients seem to really enjoy their hospital experience while others remain miserable the whole way through. So what are some steps you and your loved ones can do to improve your hospital stay?

   

  1. Bring something to do: a laptop, a book, a crossword puzzle. You are going to be left alone in your room a lot, and believe me counting the cracks in the ceiling gets old quick

  2.Bring your own pillow. just trust me on this one. Comfort and sanitary issues of hospital pillows aside, the best thing you can do when you are sick is rest, the best way to rest is on a comfy pillow

  3. Have an accurate and updated med list. If you are older than 50, you should have one of these on you at all times…especially in this electronic age, your doctor may only have a list of every medication you have ever been on, not just what you are taking now

  4.Write down all your questions early.  Your doctor will only come to your room  once a day  (because they only get paid by Medicare to come once in a day) and any unanswered questions will have to wait until the following day.

  5.  Be patient.  There is no clock in a hospital.  Nobody knows when any of your tests are scheduled to be done.  Not the cleaning lady.  Not your nurse.  Not even the doctor doing the procedure knows when you’re up.   You’ll know when you’re up when they cart you away. Believing anything otherwise will just make you frustrated.

  6.  You’re going to be told things that contradict each other multiple times a day.  That’s normal.  Accept it.  All your doctors and nurses carry their own perspective and experience.  There is no right answer to many of the questions you will seek.  

  7.  Being sick is highly unpredictable.    If hospital care was easy and straightforward, we would be monitoring you from home with our Skype account.   But we aren’t.   You may be stable one hour and  unconscious the next.  That’s not your doctor’s or your nurse’s fault.  That’s why you’re in the hospital.

   

  8. Be nice.   If you are mean to your doctors or nurses, they will consciously (or subconsciously) avoid interaction with you and your family.  There are many  safely guarded methods handed down through centuries of medical and nursing training that have prepared doctors and nurses for the difficult family.   We know all the methods by heart.  

  9. When you are admitted to the hospital, request the highest hospital floor for your room; this will shed hours off your day of uncertainty:

  Most doctors will take the elevator to the top of the hospital and do gravity rounds.  That means doctors will start at the top of the hospital and work their way down from floor to floor until they are done seeing patients. Ergo, the higher up you are, the sooner you will be seen by your care teams

  • 3:29 pm
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