print

Your Hospital Stay

A Guide for Patients & Families

Thank you for trusting us with your hospital care. Your care and satisfaction are our highest priorities. This page covers:

Your role

You are the most important member of your health care team. We want to hear from you.

  • Let us know how you are doing.
  • Tell us if we can provide better care.
  • Ask questions about anything you do not understand.
  • Share any concerns with a member of your care team or our Patient
    Service Excellence Department at (530) 332-7005.

You Are Part of Our Team

As a Joint Commission accredited organization, we are committed to providing quality care, and your safety is our first priority. Everyone here is a safety inspector including patients, family and friends. Your input is important. In fact, research shows that patients who take part in their
health care decisions have better outcomes. Everyone involved in your care has a role, including you. Here are ways you can help:

Understand Your Care
  • Know which treatment or procedure will be done.
  • Make sure you know exactly what will be happening to you.
  • Before your procedure date, discuss questions with your doctor.
  • Be aware of any risks or complications.
  • Know how long the treatment or procedure will last.
  • Know what to expect after it’s over, such as your expected recovery time and whether you will need a ride home.
  • Learn about your diagnosis, medical tests and treatment plan. Resources include your physician and the nursing staff, the public library, Enloe’s Health Learning Center and Cancer Center Library, support groups and classes, and respected Web sites, including Enloe’s Health Links Web page (www.enloe.org/links).
Bring Help
  • Consider having a trusted friend or family member accompany you.
  • This person will be your advocate and “second set of eyes.”
  • Ask this person to pay attention to the care you are receiving.
  • Your advocate should also speak up if something does not seem right.
  • This person should be aware of your wishes about resuscitation and life support.
We Encourage Visitors
  • At Enloe Medical Center we believe that the support of loved ones is important to a patient’s well-being. We center patient visitation around the patient’s wishes and needs, including rest and quiet to enable recovery.
  • Visiting children must be supervised at all times by a responsible adult (other than the patient), for the child’s safety.
  • Please check with the patient’s nurse for special dietary restrictions before bringing food from outside the hospital.
Be Aware of What’s Happening
  • Pay attention to what’s going on around you.
  • Understand what is happening to you.
  • If you do not understand, keep asking questions until you do.
Speak Up
  • Speak up if you do not understand your doctor or nurse. No question is too silly.
  • Speak up if something seems wrong. We will appreciate this.
  • Expect health care workers to introduce themselves. Speak up if they don’t. This can prevent errors.
  • Expect health care workers to identify you by checking your ID band before treating you. Speak up if they don’t. This can prevent errors.
  • Do not be embarrassed to tell us about anything that concerns you.
  • We want to learn from your experiences, and we value your opinion.
Check for ID Badges
  • Everyone on staff at Enloe must wear an ID badge.
  • Be sure anyone caring for you has a badge. If someone does not, ask for the supervisor to verify that this person should be caring for you.
Staff Should Check That You Are the Correct Patient
  • Everyone on your health care team will verify your identity. This is a safety check.
  • If you are having surgery, they should also ask you the name and location of the procedure. This is also a safety check.
  • If you are having surgery, you and your physician will mark the site of your surgery with your surgeon’s initials.
Expect Everyone to Wash Their Hands
  • Anyone touching you, whether caregiver or visitor, should cleanse their hands first.
  • Hand washing is the most important thing we can do to stop the spread of infection.
  • It only takes a few simple words to encourage this healthy habit: “Excuse me, did you clean your hands?” or “I saw that you cleaned your hands. Thank you!” It is okay to ask.
Practice Medication Safety
  • Make a list of all medications you currently take, including prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines and herbal remedies, and carry the list with you at all times.
  • Share the list with your doctor and pharmacist.
  • Tell your doctor and pharmacist about any problems you have had when taking your medications, no matter how trivial.
  • Review any new prescriptions with your doctor. Make sure you understand what the medication is, how often you should take it and why.
  • Read the drug label carefully before you leave the pharmacy. Make sure the information matches what you discussed with your doctor, including amount to take and frequency.

Your health care team

Members of your health care team during your stay at Enloe Medical Center may include:

Admissions

The registration staff will confirm personal insurance information. You will also be provided information about Patient Rights and Responsibilities and health care privacy. Financial Counselors are available to answer questions about hospital costs and your insurance. You may reach a financial counselor by phoning 530.332.6768.

Medical Staff

Your physician is in charge of your care. He or she may also ask other specialists to see you during your stay.

Nursing

Each shift you will have a nurse assigned to care for you. There is also a Charge Nurse responsible for your patient care unit. Please talk to your nurse or the charge nurse if you have questions, concerns or need help during your hospital stay.

Case Management Team

Each patient care area has a Case Management team made up of case manager/registered nurses, case manager/social workers and case manager assistants. They are available to help patients and family members with financial, social and emotional needs that relate to illness
or hospitalization. Members of the Case Management team work with patients and families to help with long-term illnesses and rehabilitation and help make a comfortable transition from the hospital to your home or extended care facility.

Patient Service Excellence

Patient Service Excellence A Patient Service Excellence representative may visit you to discuss your hospital stay. You are also free to contact Patient Service Excellence at (530) 332-7005.

Pastoral Care

We respect the rich diversity of spiritual and religious beliefs of patients and their families. Our Volunteer Spiritual Care Providers are members of the community clergy who are available upon request. Your priest, minister, rabbi or other spiritual care provider is welcome to visit you while you are here. If you would like us to contact a spiritual care provider for you, please notify your nurse or social worker..

Housekeeping

A member of the housekeeping staff cleans your room daily. If there is a housekeeping problem in your room, please tell your nurse, or call (530) 521-4696, and it will be taken care of as soon as possible.

Volunteers

These caring community members partner with hospital employees to provide a comfortable stay for patients. Volunteers can be identified by their “volunteers” logo shirts and name badges. Volunteer are available to visit patients to provide conversation, read, play games, and offer support and pleasant diversions. To request a visit from a volunteer, contact the nurses’ station or call the Volunteer Services office weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (530) 332-4575.

Other Caregivers

During your stay, many other health care professionals may visit you, including personnel from the Laboratory and Radiology departments, and physical, occupational, speech or respiratory therapists. The Enloe hospital team includes many behind-the-scenes employees, such as pharmacists, accountants, engineers, secretaries, food service workers and others who contribute greatly toward your well-being while you are here.

Visitation Guidelines

We Encourage Visitors: At Enloe Medical Center we believe that the support of loved ones is important to a patient’s well-being. We center patient visitation around the patient’s wishes and needs, including rest and quiet to enable recovery.

    • Visiting children must be supervised at all times by a responsible adult (other than the patient), for the child’s safety.
    • Please check with the patient’s nurse for special dietary restrictions before bringing food from outside the hospital.
    • Visitors with communicable diseases, such as the flu or chicken pox, are encouraged to delay their visit until they are well.

Patients on each unit have differing needs. Please check with the nurse on your loved one's unit for any special guidelines.

Behavioral Health: Visiting hours are 6:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (All visitors must have written authorization from the patient prior to visiting.)

Critical/ Intensive Care (ICU/CCU and Neuro-Trauma-Surgical ICU): Visiting hours are patient-centered. A visitation schedule is determined collaboratively between the patient, patient’s family and the nurse, taking into account the best interest of patient. Critically ill patients may only tolerate very limited visiting periods. Please check with the patient’s nurse for special dietary restrictions before bringing food from outside the hospital. Gifts and flowers are not encouraged due to the limited space taken up with the monitoring equipment. Children under the age of 14 are allowed in patient care areas for brief visits on a case by case basis.

Mother & Baby Care Center: Our visitor guidelines are intended to promote rest and snuggling, allow time for healing and learning, preserve privacy, enhance infant security and reduce exposure to infection. All visitors will sign in and out of the unit on each visit. Children may visit at the discretion of the patient. Learn more.

Rehabilitation Center: Visiting hours for inpatients are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to be with patients during meal times to create a more homelike environment. Family members and/or significant others who are participating in caregiver training are encouraged to discuss appropriate times to be available for education with treatment team.

Hospitality

Here is information to help make your stay and your guests’ visit more comfortable:

Parking and Valet Service

Parking lots and street parking are available for patients and visitors. Free valet parking is
available 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week, including holidays. All parking at Enloe Medical Center is free.

Lounges and patios

Lounge areas are available for visitors on each patient floor and on the first floor. Patios and garden areas are available to patients and guests. Ask your nurse for directions.

TV Programs

Channel 10 health education programming is available in the patient rooms at the Enloe Esplanade Campus from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. seven days a week. See the detailed channel listing on page 16 of this guide.

Wi-Fi Access

Enloe Medical Center is pleased to offer our patients, their loved ones and visitors free wireless Internet access while on our Enloe Esplanade, Rehabilitation Center and Cancer Center campuses. Wifi-enabled devices will identify the network name “Enloe_Guest_Access” when you turn them on. Computers with Internet access are also available at the Enloe Libraries.

Allspice CafE

Located in the basement of our Enloe Esplanade campus, our cafeteria offers a diverse and tasty menu. The café is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. to 4 a.m.

Enloe Gift Shop

The Gift Shop, operated by Enloe Volunteers, is located near the main lobby of the Enloe Esplanade Campus. It sells newspapers, magazines, books, snack foods, flowers and small gift items. The shop accepts credit cards and phone orders and can make deliveries to patients. Hours are weekdays 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and weekends 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Phone: (530) 332-7993

Patient E-mail Cards

Tell friends and family about our free e-mail greetings for patients. To send a greeting, visit our Web site at www.enloe.org. Volunteers deliver the e-mails to patients twice daily.

Physician Information

Visit www.enloe.org/doctor for a listing of many of the doctors on our medical staff. If you need a referral to a doctor, call 1-877-Enloe-MD, 24 hours a day.

Spiritual Support

If you would like spiritual support, please ask your nurse or social worker.

Quiet Place

We also offer a quiet place for reflection on the first floor o near our Administrative Suite. Many visitors may remember our Enloe Chapel. It has closed as part of our construction project, and Enloe’s Meditation Room will open in the Magnolia Tower in 2012. Thank you for your
understanding as we expand the medical center.

Enloe Libraries

You can access health, wellness and medical information in our two libraries: The Enloe Health Learning Center and the Enloe Cancer Center Library. You can also access our online catalog for these libraries and search our online Krames health information website.

Healthy Events

Throughout the year we offer many free health education events for the community. Visit www.enloe.org/events or call (530) 332-7016 for a listing.

No Smoking

For the health of our patients and staff, smoking is not permitted inside the hospital or within 25 feet of any of our entrances. Enloe Esplanade and Enloe Rehabilitation patients who choose to smoke outside will need their physician’s approval and written orders. Smoking cessation programs are available within the community. Contact your nurse for information about smoking cessation.

Preparing to go home

Checkout Time

When your doctor feels you are ready to leave the hospital, he or she will write a discharge order. Your care team will do everything possible to have you ready to depart in a timely fashion. Please be aware, you may be billed for extra time in your room, and this charge is not covered by most insurance plans.

Arranging transportation

You can help expedite your discharge by arranging a ride home from the hospital as soon as your discharge order has been written. Early planning will also help your support person, such as a family member or friend, make the necessary arrangements to assist you. If you need assistance getting a ride, please notify your nurse or case manager, who can assist you with making arrangements.

Medications

Ask about medications that you were taking before your hospitalization and whether you should continue taking them. If you are going to receive a new medication, ask about the purpose and possible side effects. Request written information. Be sure you have your discharge prescriptions and that you have a way to get your prescriptions filled. Update your list of
medications that you are taking and keep a copy of the list with you at all times.

Personal Belongings

Collect all of your belongings and double-check closets, bedside tables and drawers. If you have valuables stored in the hospital safe, a member of your care team will bring you by Admitting to retrieve them before you exit the medical center. If you will be transferred to another facility, a member of your care team will have them delivered to you before you are discharged from Enloe.

Discharge Instructions

Your doctor and your nurse will give you instructions about post-hospital care. Make sure you understand the care you need at home, and if you have questions about your diet, medications, activities, follow-up appointments or other matters, please be sure to ask. Talk to your doctor
or case manager/social worker if finances or other factors limit your access to medications or care. Will you need special equipment or help from a home health nurse when you return home? Simply ask for the hospital’s case manager, who can make these special arrangements for you as ordered by your doctor.

Escort to Front Entrance

When you are ready to leave, a hospital caregiver will escort you to the front entrance and help you into the car.

Return To Top