American Hospital Procedure

David · 01-15-2010, 03:21 AM

I'm making a new thread because I cant find one to tell me what the proper procedure is for asking about patients in a hospital if they're family.
Is it something you ask you're self or are you supposed to ask a family member so you don't bother the staff. I'd really like to get the information from the hospital directly, but I don't have a car and I don't want to call if it's something that would get in the way of an emergency call.

jamesglewisf · 01-15-2010, 08:58 AM

Don't worry about whether or not the hospital staff is busy. If they are, they will tell you. Your bigger issue is that because of privacy laws, they may not answer your questions whether you are in person or over the phone. Just being a family member does not give you a legal right to the information. Usually the patient has to give written consent for you to be told anything without the patient being present.

IB O IR ID O · 05-11-2010, 06:46 PM

I encountered this during the past month and I too was leery about bothering medical staff. Fortunately, we had already communicated with the patient by phone so we already knew the room floor and number. Within the hospital, however, there can be many checkpoints on the way to a patient's room, many manned by volunteers. Nurses behind nursing station desks were unwilling to even look at you even though signs said you should check-in there.

My recommendation is to "walk around as if you have a purpose". If you're going to room 417 to visit somebody, act in accordance with that task. If you do, nobody will bother you. If you come to a check-point simply state that you're heading to room 417. If they need to stop you, they will. If, however, you look lost and begin wandering around as if with no direction, you might be subject to extra interrogation.

As far as getting information is concerned, I feel it is best to do that inside the patient's room by either talking to attending nurses or doctors. Nurses and doctors understand that family are there because they care and they may have questions. If the doctor feels that the patient is not in a state to hear about their condition, then they will talk to you outside the room or in a private conference room. It is unusual for a doctor to grill you about your exact relationship to the patient. Family is family....

01-15-2010, 03:21 AM	#1
David Smart Feller Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 2	American Hospital Procedure I'm making a new thread because I cant find one to tell me what the proper procedure is for asking about patients in a hospital if they're family. Is it something you ask you're self or are you supposed to ask a family member so you don't bother the staff. I'd really like to get the information from the hospital directly, but I don't have a car and I don't want to call if it's something that would get in the way of an emergency call.

01-15-2010, 08:58 AM	#2
jamesglewisf Doofus Maximus Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Texas Posts: 8,138	Don't worry about whether or not the hospital staff is busy. If they are, they will tell you. Your bigger issue is that because of privacy laws, they may not answer your questions whether you are in person or over the phone. Just being a family member does not give you a legal right to the information. Usually the patient has to give written consent for you to be told anything without the patient being present. __________________ Jim Lewis - Admin Tipping Etiquette Dining Etiquette JamesGLewis.com iPhone Tip Guide Movies Without Nudity.com To BE or not to BE

05-11-2010, 06:46 PM	#3
IB O IR ID O Smart Feller Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 9	I encountered this during the past month and I too was leery about bothering medical staff. Fortunately, we had already communicated with the patient by phone so we already knew the room floor and number. Within the hospital, however, there can be many checkpoints on the way to a patient's room, many manned by volunteers. Nurses behind nursing station desks were unwilling to even look at you even though signs said you should check-in there. My recommendation is to "walk around as if you have a purpose". If you're going to room 417 to visit somebody, act in accordance with that task. If you do, nobody will bother you. If you come to a check-point simply state that you're heading to room 417. If they need to stop you, they will. If, however, you look lost and begin wandering around as if with no direction, you might be subject to extra interrogation. As far as getting information is concerned, I feel it is best to do that inside the patient's room by either talking to attending nurses or doctors. Nurses and doctors understand that family are there because they care and they may have questions. If the doctor feels that the patient is not in a state to hear about their condition, then they will talk to you outside the room or in a private conference room. It is unusual for a doctor to grill you about your exact relationship to the patient. Family is family....