Hospital Services

• Feeding and meals: Generally, you will be given choices and menus for meals.
  
  
  • Some people are placed on restricted diets. For example, kidney failure patients are given low sodium, low potassium, and low protein diets; diabetic patients are given special low sugar diets.
    
    
  • At any time you may be restricted from eating at all, for instance before a test, surgery, or treatment.
    
    
  • At times, family or friends may want to bring you food from the outside. Check with your doctor or nurse for permission.
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• Visiting hours are usually posted.
  
  
  • There may be restrictions on children, so check prior to bringing them.
    
    
  • Other restrictions may be placed to protect visitors or patients. These could include the use of gowns or face masks while visiting.
    
    
  • People in the hospital are susceptible to contracting infections. Care should be taken not to visit someone in the hospital whenever you are sick with a communicable disease, such as the flu.
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• Family boarding: Hospitals may allow family members to stay overnight in a person’s room.
  
  
  • This is usually allowed for parents of admitted children.
    
    
  • If you wish to board with a child or adult family member, check with the hospital to see if it is allowed.
  
  
• Other services
  
  
  • Television: Some hospitals provide television for free, but many charge for this service. Make sure you understand if you are being charged and if your insurance covers this charge.
    
    
  • Telephone: You may or may not be charged for local calls. Check before you call. Long distance charges will, of course, be added to your bill.
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  • Medications: Although the nurse gives you your medications, your doctor writes the orders for them, including the following:
    
    
    • Route (oral, IV, intra-muscular, rectally)
      
      
    • Frequency
      
      
    • Times of day they are to be given