You may need to stay in a hospital for different reasons. It can be a major surgery or giving birth to a child.
No matter what the reason is, staying in a hospital is an awful experience for most of the patients. With the noisy hallways, inflexible, and being woken every few hours for checkup and medication, you may feel exhausted.
While hospital care is meant to heal people, it can be dangerous for the patient’s health as well.
It’s because the hospital is a place where you can easily get infected by a virus, deadly pathogens, and germs from the hospital wastes that can be a serious threat to your health. [1]
However, you can make your visit to the hospital comfortable and less risky by following some simple rules.
Continue reading to learn about the tips that will help you to have a pleasant time at the hospital and recover soon.
1. Talk to Your Nurse.
When you are admitted to a hospital, the hospital authority may assign you a doctor you are not comfortable with. If you don’t like their service or get intimidated, you should ask your nurse for a different doctor.
You should also ask them about who’s in charge of your treatment and collect their contact number. If the nurse fails to provide you with the necessary information, talk to the hospital authority.
2. Bring Your Own Essentials.
If you need to stay at the hospitals for a few days, it’s important to make it your comfort zone. Bring your own pillow as most hospitals don’t have extra.
The toiletries provided by the hospitals aren’t the best qualities. The little soaps are too harsh, the shampoos are watery, and the toilet paper is not as soft as you want. So, bring your toiletries and essential to ensure comfort and hygiene.
While you’re concerned about your safety from germs, you need to think about the other people at the hospitals as well. In that case, always dispose of the wastes and your used essentials properly as part of the hospital’s health care waste management plan.
3. Ask Questions.
Do not hesitate to ask a lot of questions if you’re confused about anything. It’s important to get a clear idea about the treatment, the expenses, and the facilities you may get while you’re admitted to the hospital.
If you’re staying the night at the hospitals, ask for a rollaway bed. Ask if the hospital can provide you with free parking, or a free meal for the person who’s staying with you at the hospitals.
Your cognitive abilities may become weak when you’re stressed or in a crisis. [2] In that case, you may not remember everything the doctor told you. So, it’s okay to ask questions repeatedly to understand and remember things.
4. Get Out of The Bed and Move.
Don’t lay down on the bed all day if you want to get released from the hospital soon. Try to get out of the bed and walk. It will help you recover physically, as well as psychologically.
Study shows that an additional 20 minutes walk by the inactive older Canadians could reduce the possibility of hospital stays by about 2%. [3]
There’s a high possibility to have blood clots if you stop moving and stay at the bed all the time. Walking around the hallways, or in the garden may help prevent blood clot and provide you with some sunshine.
5. Tell The Doctors If You Need to Take Rest.
The worst part of staying in a hospital is being woken at the middle of the night for a regular checkup, collecting wastes, etc. If you think you’re recovering and need to sleep, tell your doctor about it.
The doctor will write a note or instruct the nurses and other staffs not to wake you up to check for vital signs unless it’s an emergency.
6. Keep Everything Noted.
You may not keep track of everything due to physical and mental trauma. That’s why you’re highly recommended to bring a notebook with you.
Write down any question you need to ask the doctor on their next visit, the name and contact of the person who visited you. It will also help you when it comes to paying the bill.
7. Get a Little Refreshment.
You may become bored and depressed sitting alone in the bed. In that case, have a little conversation with the doctors and nurses, ask about their health, and say thank you for their service, which will make you feel good.
Also try to read newspapers or books, or do something that requires brainstorming, such as solving a crossword puzzle.
8. Don’t Stay Alone.
Some hospitals have restricting visiting hours. In that case, you may have to stay in your cabin alone most of the time. However, it’s not good for a patient to keep away from their family member for a long time.
Besides, if you have severe sickness, you may need assistance to get off from the bed and to go to the washroom. Ask your doctor to let your family member stay with you as you might need them.
Conclusion
Hospitals are the last place anyone will ever want to stay. But, you may have to stay in a hospital for a couple of days if you or your family member has severe sickness.
Always choose a hospital with a higher ranking and reputation. To avoid any further infections, check if they have a proper waste management system.
Remember, when it comes to your health, there is no dumb question. Ask anything and get a clear idea if you have any confusions. Try to follow these simple tips to make your visit short and pleasant.
Read Next: 7 Research Based Therapies for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
