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Patient Guide
Welcome to Saint Francis Hospital South. While you are here, we want you to feel at home and as comfortable as possible. Our first effort is to get you to your room promptly, so you can relax and we can begin your care.
If time permitted, your physician gave our admitting clerk orders for your tests, diet and other instructions. You may also have been contacted for insurance and business information. The hospital will need your insurance identification cards at the time of admission to complete your hospital record. Financial counselors can assist you and your family with insurance forms and any special financial arrangements.
Your nursing staff wants to make you as comfortable as possible in your new setting. Your nurse will review your doctor’s orders and will ask you additional questions to complete your medical record. In the nursing interview, you will have the opportunity to ask questions and participate in the proposed plan of care.
Identification
When you complete your admissions interview, you are assigned a permanent medical record number to use any time you are a patient at Saint Francis Hospital South. You will also receive an identification bracelet that must be worn during your entire hospital stay. If you are allergic to any drugs, you will get another bracelet to identify your allergy.
Valuables
You will need only essentials such as toiletries and sleeping apparel in your room. The hospital cannot be responsible for money or personal belongings, so please send credit cards, jewelry and all but a few dollars home. Money and valuables not sent home should be deposited in the hospital’s vault for safekeeping.
Tests
Before you are taken to your room, you may be asked for blood and urine samples and a chest X-ray.
Medications
If your doctor allowed you to bring medications from home, you’ll be asked to check them with the nurse. Only medications prescribed by your doctor during your hospital stay may be taken. For your convenience, we have Patient Information cards which you can use to keep a listing of your medications and health history. Ask your nurse about receiving one of these cards.
Safety
Your bed can be raised or lowered electrically. At bedtime, the bed is usually placed in a low position with the top side rails raised. The rails will not obstruct you from getting in and out of bed; they actually provide a handrail for you to steady yourself. If you feel unsteady or have taken sedatives, please use your signal light to call for assistance to get out of bed. Do not cover your night light. It will help orient you to your new surroundings.
Dentures
If you wear dentures, please ask the nurse for a denture container. Dentures wrapped in tissue and left on table tops could be discarded accidentally.
Telephone
Your room number and phone extension are the same. Friends may reach you between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. by dialing 3076 plus your room number-307-6###. So you may rest, calls to your room at other hours are diverted to the hospital operator. You may make local calls at any hour by dialing 9 plus the number. For long-distance calls, dial 0 for the hospital operator. You may charge the call to your home phone or telephone credit card.
Services for the Hearing-impaired
Hearing-impaired patients and their families are asked to contact Social Work Services at the time of admission to arrange for special services during their hospitalization. The hospital has a TDD machine that connects to the telephone so deaf patients can communicate with people outside the hospital. Ask your nurse for more information about this service.
Television
A television is provided in every patient room. A complete listing of hospital television programs is provided in the Patient Information booklet found in your room.
Smoking
In keeping with the Surgeon General’s warning that smoking is harmful to health, Saint Francis Hospital South maintains a smoke-free environment throughout the facility for patients, employees and visitors.
Mail and Flowers
Volunteers deliver mail and flowers to your room. If mail arrives after you leave the hospital, it will be forwarded to your home. Flowers arriving after your dismissal will be returned to the florist for home delivery.
Private Duty Nurses
If your doctor has ordered a private duty nurse, your hospital nurse will make arrangements for you through the nursing staffing office.
Social Work Services
Illness and hospitalization often cause personal or family problems that may complicate your recovery. Social workers may help you by contacting community resources, arranging home health care or nursing home care, or obtaining special equipment. Your doctor or nurse can arrange a meeting with a social worker.
Leaving the Hospital
Your physician determines when you are well enough to leave the hospital and writes the discharge order. We suggest you send flowers and gifts home, and discuss arrangements for your hospital bill with the financial counselors the day before discharge, if possible. These arrangements will make the morning of your dismissal easier.
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