Maybe you have a surgery scheduled, and it will be your first time in a hospital. Or maybe there’s an emergency and you’ve been taken for immediate care.
Whether it’s planned in advance or not, there are some things you can prepare (quickly in the case of an emergency) to make your hospital stay more manageable.
Before You’re Admitted
Sometimes your visit to the hospital is unplanned and there’s little you can do to manage it in advance. Other times you know you have to go, whether it’s for an elective procedure or some other form of care where you will know ahead of time and will be able to prepare a little better.
Grab essentials
Make sure that you (or a family member) take what you need.
Electronic devices (and chargers) are important so that you can stay in touch.
If you have copies of medical records handy or even bottles of medicine that you’re currently taking, grab them. It’s much easier to show a doctor a bottle with a label than to struggle to remember the complex name of the medicine.
Plan ahead for medical bills
A 2007 study found that 70 million American have difficulty paying for medical care or have already incurred medical debt
When you are going through an elective procedure, you will have time to research how your insurance will cover your hospital stay and hopefully save up the funds you’ll need or, at the very least, develop a payment plan with the hospital.
For elective admissions, you should recognize that hospitals have worked hard to modernize their billing and it’s likely that someone will be by to collect any co-pays identified by your insurance.
Prepare your medical power of attorney
Not to get you nervous about the “what if” scenario, but it’s always best to be prepared in case something goes wrong while you’re in the hospital. Before you’re admitted, create a living will, advance directive, and durable power of attorney paperwork with a trusted estate-planning attorney.
Also, write down your wishes for your family members or the person you’re leaving in charge of your estate. That way, if a question arises and you’re unconscious or otherwise unable to participate in the communication, what you want to happen can happen.
During Your Stay
Make sure you remain engaged in the process while you’re admitted, and have your family or trusted friends there as well.
When the physician comes by for daily rounds, be ready with questions and keep an open mind so you can hear everything they have to say.
Taking notes and having another person in the room can help greatly when you’re feeling too overwhelmed to focus.
Ask questions when you don’t understand something. And don’t underestimate the support staff at the hospital.
Everyone from the surgeons to the custodians are there to ensure you have a positive stay, and you can put that focus to work for your benefit.
Relax and Trust the Process
This might be easier said than done, but it’s vital to your health that your stress levels are as low as possible when you enter the hospital.
You should have very little reason to worry about what will happen once you’re admitted and donning that ever-so-fashionable hospital gown. Your medical team knows your situation, and they are there for you. And if you have questions, just ask them; it’s their job to help you feel more comfortable and relaxed.
It doesn’t matter if you’ll be cared for by an employed hospitalist or a locum tenens hospitalist, because their focus is the same – you.