Hospital Stays

This post first appeared on Kat’s blog, Kindism, in 2013 as part of a series on health care for Christian Scientists and former Christian Scientists. It’s reposted here with minor edits and updated links.

Please remember, this is intended to offer people support, ideas, and resources. It is not in any way intended to be a substitute for medical advice or care. Please see a health care professional if you have concerns, especially if your concern is serious!

This list is a very basic overview, and much of it may be more or less accurate depending on what you are in for.

If something is wrong to the point of needing to go to the hospital, call 911. The ambulance crew will know the appropriate hospital to take you to and can give the hospital better background and technical information. Our nurse explains what to expect when calling 911.

Use your best judgement. There are exceptions, like scheduled surgeries, or if you’ve already called your primary care physician after hours and they recommend getting seen sooner, in which case they will likely recommend a hospital.

While in the hospital it is okay to ask questions and write things down to help you remember. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has a list of 10 questions you should know.

Admittance

If you’re admitted through the Emergency Room, you might have to stay there for several hours until a bed is available. The sickest patients go to the ICU, which provides the highest level of monitoring and the lowest nurse to patient ratio. If your condition does not rise to ICU level but your heart needs constant monitoring, you’ll end up in telemetry. Most people will go to medical/surgical wards, which care for a wider range of patients.
If you’re being admitted for a scheduled surgery, you may be asked to come in a few days before so they can draw blood and fill out paperwork. You will likely then be given further instructions as your condition warrants.
Staying overnight doesn’t always mean you’ve been admitted. You may be an outpatient “under observation” while your doctor decides whether to admit you, and that can change what your insurance pays. Ask each day whether you’re an inpatient or an outpatient; Medicare explains how hospital status affects your costs.

Care Team

In most hospitals, an internal medicine doctor (often called a hospitalist) will be overseeing your care. If you’ve had surgery, your surgeon will be visiting daily to check on your progress. If you are there because of pregnancy, your OBGYN (and in some cases a midwife) will be overseeing your care.
Your care team will consist of a charge nurse (RN), a nurse (RN), and, generally, a certified nursing assistant (CNA).
The nursing team is usually in place for an eight or twelve-hour shift (this varies by hospital). At the shift change, the RN who is finishing their shift will go over your case with the RN taking the next shift. You can ask that they do this with you present so that you’re kept informed. At that time, the new care team will introduce themselves to you.
Do not hesitate to ask questions about the daily routine, upcoming procedures, tests, blood draws, etc. Do not hesitate to press the call button should you need help. Nurses are not servants: they are highly trained professionals who may well save your life, especially if your physician makes a mistake.
While you shouldn’t hesitate to use the call light if you need to, overuse can unfortunately cause some staff to take extra time getting to your room. So definitely use it, but in moderation.

Visitors

Visiting hours are not always strictly enforced. It may be possible for you to have a friend or family member stay with you around the clock.
You may also ask not to receive any visitors, or not to allow certain people to visit you.

Routine

Don’t expect uninterrupted sleep during your stay. If you’re not already being woken by all the poking and prodding on the agenda, know that infusion pumps (yours or your neighbors’) will be beeping at any and all times.
Your CNA will drop by regularly to check your vital signs, and a phlebotomist may drop by every morning to draw blood (if so, it will likely be early, around 5 am, so that the tests can be run before the doctors make their rounds). If one of your arms is off-limits to pressure or puncture, ask the staff to place a sign to this effect over your bed. Speak up if someone starts to go for it anyway, and remind them of the proper arm to use for blood pressure and blood draws.
If you’re receiving any medication, the nurse will scan your hospital bracelet and ask you to verify your name and date of birth. This is to be sure that you are receiving the proper drugs.
If you’re given a new medication, the nurse should explain what the medicine does, when you’ll receive your doses, and any side effects to watch for.
Hospital food ranges from the palatable to the vile. Always check that the food you’ve been served fits any dietary restrictions you have.

Pain

If your pain is controlled, you will heal more quickly. Be honest when a physician or nurse asks your pain level; doctors and nurses are serious when they say they want your pain managed. If you’re worried about taking pain medicine, tell them, and ask what your options are.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, make sure the doctors are aware of that (they likely already are). If you are concerned about milk supply or the drugs and the baby, ask to speak with the hospital’s lactation consultant, and talk to your doctor about your concerns.

Watch For

Hygiene. Anyone who enters your room should clean their hands, and glove up if they’re going to touch you. You do not want to go home with an infection, or, worse, get a bug so serious that you never leave the hospital. It’s fine to ask someone to wash their hands. Clean your own hands often, too.
Appropriate ID. Everyone who comes into your room should be wearing some form of official hospital identification. It is always alright to ask a person’s name and what they will be doing.

Discharge

A day or so before your release date, a discharge planner (usually an RN) will speak to you. They will make sure that you have a ride home, and will arrange for any home care you’ll require. You may also get a call within a day or two after your discharge to check on your recovery and go over any medications you’ve been prescribed.
Medicare’s discharge planning checklist is useful whatever your insurance: it covers medications, warning signs to watch for, and follow-up appointments.

Other things to remember

If you know you will be admitted past the ER, bring toiletries. Your lotion and shampoo are probably 10x better than the hospital’s.