Nurse Reveals 10 Hospital Hacks To Ensure Top-Quality Care For You or Your Loved Ones
Patriot Nurse Reveals Essential Tips for Ensuring Quality Care
In this post, you’ll discover 10 invaluable tips to make your hospital visits smoother and more effective, all from the perspective of an experienced nurse.
These insights, shared by The Patriot Nurse – an active registered nurse, master Herbalist, and renowned YouTuber – can significantly enhance the care you receive.
Inspired by her informative video (which you can find at the end of this article) these hacks cover everything from keeping meticulous records and having a companion, to effectively communicating with doctors and understanding your rights.
These practical tips are designed to give you more control and confidence during hospital visits, ensuring you and your loved ones get the best care possible.
1. Assume Serial Incompetence
As you navigate the complex and changing healthcare landscape, it’s smart to take a proactive approach during hospital visits.
The need for this shift has become apparent, especially with significant changes in healthcare, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the demands of an aging population.
Consequently, the Patriot Nurse recommend assuming “serial incompetence” among hospital staff to ensure you receive quality care.
Adopting this assumption doesn’t mean being unkind to healthcare providers, who are often doing their best under difficult conditions like short-staffing and resource limitations.
Instead, it’s about being vigilant and proactive. By staying informed and actively following up on the care you or your loved ones are promised, you can help ensure critical needs, such as receiving medication on time, are met.
2. Don’t Leave Family Members Alone
It’s crucial to ensure that your loved ones are never left alone during their hospital stay. While most healthcare providers strive to deliver the best care possible, the reality is that the system isn’t perfect.
Consequently, having an “advocate” present at all times can make a significant difference in the quality of care your family member receives.
When a patient is recovering from surgery, dealing with pain, or under the influence of medication, their ability to communicate effectively and assert their needs may be compromised.
This is where you come in.
By being present, you can act as their voice, ask questions, and make sure they’re comfortable and safe. Your presence alone can provide a sense of security during a vulnerable time.
Moreover, given that visitation restrictions may apply in certain situations, such as in intensive care units or during specific procedures, it’s essential to be there during allowed visiting hours.
Accordingly, your active involvement and watchful eye can grant you peace of mind, knowing that you’re doing everything in your power to ensure your loved one’s well-being.
3. Be Concise with Communication
When you’re dealing with healthcare professionals during a hospital visit, effective communication is key. In today’s fast-paced healthcare environment, it’s important to get to the point quickly when talking to providers.
As harsh as it may sound, doctors and nurses are often working under tight time constraints, so you need to make the most of the limited time they have to address your concerns.
To make sure your needs are met, put together a bullet-point list of the items you want to discuss with your healthcare team. By doing this, you’ll facilitate clear and efficient communication, allowing providers to quickly understand and address your most pressing issues.
Since you’ll be distilling your thoughts into key actionable points, you’ll increase the likelihood of receiving the care and attention you require.
4. Document Everything
Meticulous documentation during a hospital visit is also important. It acts as both a personal record and an advocate, ensuring that healthcare providers’ commitments are upheld.
This is especially important because, as the Patriot Nurse claims, the hospital environment can often be complex and staff overworked.
By actively recording every interaction, medication, and treatment plan, you’re taking a proactive step towards safeguarding your health outcomes.
Furthermore, maintaining a detailed record is a powerful tool for self-advocacy. It reminds healthcare providers of their pledges, which is critical when dealing with multiple caregivers. This is because human factors like fatigue can affect memory, potentially leading to oversights.
Therefore, it’s advised that anytime a healthcare provider tells you about a medication or therapy, you should jot down their name along with the specifics of the conversation. This practice isn’t about distrust; instead, it’s a result-oriented measure to ensure continuity of care.
5. Ask Questions
When it comes to ensuring a safe hospital visit, asking questions is crucial, following the importance of thorough documentation.
As you navigate your hospital stay, you should actively participate in your care by asking relevant questions. This is because healthcare providers might not automatically inform you of everything you need to know.
During the discharge process, if you find yourself unsure about managing daily activities after surgery, it’s essential to inquire about available support services like home health care or physical therapy. Although healthcare professionals should ideally address these concerns proactively, being your own advocate and seeking clarification when needed is vital.
Also, by asking questions, you can bridge any communication gaps and ensure you receive the necessary information and resources for a smooth recovery process.
Remember, your healthcare team is there to assist you, but taking the initiative in asking questions can significantly impact your overall hospital experience and post-discharge well-being.
6. “Bribing” Healthcare Providers
Sometimes you might encounter an unspoken reality that can significantly affect the care you or your loved ones receive: “bribing” healthcare providers.
This practice, though not ideal, can enhance the attention and quality of care you get. This isn’t to say that healthcare professionals deliberately provide inferior care; rather, it recognizes their demanding work and how small tokens of appreciation can positively influence their patient interactions.
In simple terms, you can “bribe” by offering coffee, bagels, or similar items to the nursing staff.
By doing this, you not only help meet their basic needs but also foster a positive relationship.
Consequently, your loved ones become more than just another name on a chart.
7. Say Thank You and Please
When you’re in the hospital, show gratitude and respect by simply saying “thank you” and “please.” This can really affect how well you’re treated.
It might seem odd to be upbeat when you’re not feeling well, but doing so can set a good tone with your healthcare providers. Many of them are really busy and might not seem very friendly, but showing that you appreciate their work can actually improve your care.
That said, if you keep being nice and the staff is still negative, you have the right to ask for a different team. In the U.S., you can request other staff members if you don’t think your needs are being met.
If you need to, you can also bring in a patient advocate or ask to talk to the hospital’s bioethics committee. This way, you can make sure you’re getting the care you deserve.
8. Know the Hospital Administrators
So, why’s that important?
Well, hospital administrators often prioritize financial considerations over patient care, which can result in “cutting corners” to maintain hospital profitability.
Consequently, hospital administrators may view patients as mere numbers rather than people, focusing on economic equations instead of providing empathetic care.
Therefore, when selecting a hospital for surgery or treatment, it is advisable to research the administrators’ philosophies and track records.
If you opt for facilities where the administrative staff demonstrates a commitment to quality patient experiences, you can ensure that you receive the best possible care.
9. Have a Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney
Ensuring you have a living will and durable power of attorney before a hospital visit, particularly for procedures with potential risks, is crucial.
These documents serve to protect your medical treatment wishes, even if you’re unable to communicate them. A living will outlines your end-of-life care preferences, whereas a durable power of attorney assigns a trusted person to make healthcare decisions for you.
It’s advisable to consult with an attorney to prepare these documents well ahead of your hospital visit. They can assist you in navigating through decisions about life support, resuscitation, or other treatments you may or may not want.
By doing this, you avoid the stress of making rushed decisions during a medical emergency, ensuring that your wishes are clear to both healthcare providers and your family.
10. Pack Comfy Clothes and Comfort Items
When you’re getting ready for a hospital stay, packing comfy clothes and comfort items is really important. These things can make you feel a lot better and might even help you get better faster.
If you make your hospital room feel more like home, it’s not just good for you – the hospital staff might also feel better about taking care of you.
To make sure you’re comfortable, pack some cozy pajamas and shoes or slippers that won’t slip. This way, you can move around the hospital without worrying about falling.
You might also want to bring something like an essential oil diffuser. Hospital smells can be really unpleasant, and covering them up can make things easier on your mind. This is true for both patients and the people taking care of them, according to insiders.
So, if you pack the right things, you can make your hospital stay a lot better. If you feel more at home, you might get better faster.
And if the staff sees you’re trying to be comfortable, they might be more likely to help you out.
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Conclusion
In this article we’ve talked about how to make hospital visits easier – according to the Patriot Nurse. The main point is that you need to be in charge of your own health.
If you take charge and know what’s going on, you can get through the healthcare system and ask for what you need.
Remember, even though doctors and nurses try their best, you need to speak up for yourself. Taking care of yourself and staying out of the hospital when you can is really important.
If you use the tips we talked about, you’ll be ready for any hospital visit.
Oh. by the way, here’s the video from The Patriot Nurse’s YouTube channel that was used for inspiration for this article.
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