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What Do You Bring to the Hospital?

Doctor taking care of patient in hospital roomHospital stays aren’t fun. Planning for them doesn’t have the same excitement as planning for, say, a vacation. But like a vacation, preparing for a hospital stay requires you to pack smart.

How do you decide what to bring to the hospital with you? Basically, you will want to bring the things you need for admittance and that will make your stay as smooth as possible.

Remember, though, that hospitals have a lot of people coming and going. In addition, you may switch rooms or leave your room for tests or procedures. Unfortunately, personal items can be lost or stolen.

A general rule is if it’s important to you, leave it at home.

Here are some guidelines.

What to bring to the hospital:

  1. A warm sweater or jacket
    Hospital rooms can get cold. You will be in a hospital gown that doesn’t provide much coverage. It’s always a good idea to have something warm to put on if you get cold.
  2. Your identification and medical insurance card
    You will need these during the admitting process, but if possible, have your loved one take them when you are finished.
  3. Your medical life list or medical history
    Whether you are being admitted to the hospital from your life-long doctor or someone new, the hospital will need a complete record of your health history. (Hint: If you have not gathered your health history, get our FREE eBook Easy Healthcare: What You Need First.)
  4. Important documents, like your Advanced Directive or Trust
    Bring the documents that detail your medical wishes in case you cannot decide for yourself. If you don’t have an Advanced Directive, the hospital may help you fill one out.

What NOT to bring to the hospital:

  1. Anything valuable
  2. Money
  3. Laptops or tablets
  4. Cell phone (It is handy to have if you need to call family BUT remember it might get lost or stolen.)

As with most situations, use your discretion.

REMEMBER to pack SMART so you have what you need, but don’t lose those items that are important.

What do you take the hospital when you or your loved one goes to the hospital? I’d love to hear from you!

To learn more about your stay in a hospital, download my FREE ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. 

With MyHealthSpin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

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Hurry! Do you have your child’s medical records to start school?

First day at schoolWhile we are all trying to soak up the last bit of summer, the school year is quickly approaching.

If you are registering for school, childcare, or sports teams you will have to provide your child’s vaccination records. This time of year families are gathering school supplies, sports and band equipment to get ready for school, but many forget about their child’s immunization records. Thinking ahead will save you time and money!

Keeping up-to-date immunization records for your children is important. They might not be able to start school without them. You don’t want to get to the first day of school and have to call the doctor’s office (with all the other parents who forgot) or worse yet – not know where the immunization records are. Many families move often or change doctors because of job or insurance changes. Make sure you know where your child’s records are.

Every state differs on what exactly is required, but generally, you will need:

  1. Hep B
  2. RV and RV1
  3. Diptheria
  4. Tetanus
  5. Haemophilus influenzae
  6. Pneumococcal conjugate 6
  7. Measles
  8. Hep A
  9. Possibly others depending on the age of your child

Before your child starts school, do this:

  1. Check with your children’s school about which vaccines are required
  2. Call you child’s doctor to get his or her vaccine record, or
  3. Have the doctor complete an immunization card for each vaccine your child receives. This way you can simply use a copy of the card whenever you need to prove that your child has been vaccinated.

How are you gathering your child’s immunization records?  I’d love to hear from you? CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ME

If you’d like to learn more about your family’s healthcare, subscribe to MyHealthSpin.com and receive a FREE copy of my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

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What Types of Doctors Are There in the Hospital?

Kid on mothers hands.When my baby daughter was about to have major emergency surgery, I frantically asked one of the doctors a lot of questions and received only some of the answers I needed. Later I learned that this doctor was NOT my daughter’s actual surgeon. He was a surgery resident who, incidentally, was later fired by the hospital for an unrelated issue.  Had I known whom to talk to, my nerves would have been better calmed by getting answers directly from my daughter’s surgeon.

Now that I have worked in the healthcare industry for more than 30 years, I realize that there are many different people in the hospital called “Doctor.” Knowing who’s who can help you get the answers you need.

Let’s talk about the kinds of doctors you may encounter while in the hospital. 

Residents
A resident has graduated from medical school and is starting his or her training in the hospital. They may be brand new–fresh out of school–or they may be a second, third or fourth year resident. Generally, the resident gathers information for the doctor who is actually in charge of your care.

Fellows
A fellow is someone who has graduated from their residency and has a “fellowship” to specialize in something specific, like “nephrology” or “cardiology.” This doctor may be able to answer some of your questions, particularly in his or her area of specialty.

Attending Physicians
Often this is the doctor who is in charge of your case. He or she has finished their residency and fellowship training. This doctor may also be the “admitting” doctor. This doctor should be able to answer most of your questions. He or she will also be the doctor to approve your discharge from the hospital.

Why is it important to know which doctor you are talking to?  

Because many of the doctors that visit you have limitations on the questions they can answer.

Junior doctors will be able to provide some limited information. The attending physician will ultimately decide what to do about your care.

When you are trying to determine what is going on with your care in a big hospital, it can seem overwhelming.  

If your attending doctor or specialist is either rounding very early in the morning or very late at night so you are not able to speak with them, tell the nurse you have some questions and ask when the doctor would be available to answer them.

If you don’t get the answers you need, ask to talk to a supervisor who can help. Every hospital has a patient advocate or a patient relations office. They should be able to help you get your questions answered.

To learn more about your stay in a hospital, subscribe to MyHealthSpin.com and receive a FREE copy of my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay.  CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!