|
What to Expect When You Arrive
At Barstow Community Hospital, our goal is for each patient to receive the appropriate care needed in the shortest amount of time possible.
Confidentiality – All of the information you provide remains confidential.
Triage – Upon arrival at our ED, you will be assessed by a triage nurse. Triage helps ensure that patients with the most serious needs are treated first. You will be asked questions about why you came to the ED, your current medications, allergies and past medical problems or surgeries you had. Your vital signs (temperature, blood pressure and pulse) will be taken.
From the information obtained, the triage nurse will determine your “priority of care.” Some patients may be taken immediately to the treatment area, while others might be asked to wait in the reception room. It is important to note that the severity of other patients’ conditions may not always be obvious. If you feel your condition has changed while in the reception area, please let the triage nurse or registration clerk know.
Valuables – Your belongings are your responsibility. Please leave anything you don’t need with your family or friends. These items may include a purse, wallet, jewelry, clothing, glasses, dentures and medications.
Registration – Vital information must be gathered and treatment consent forms must be signed. Only after you have been assessed will you be asked for financial and insurance information. Registration can be done at the bedside, if necessary.
Emergency Department – If your condition requires emergent care, you will be treated in the Emergency Department. While in a room, you will be seen by a nurse who will ask you additional medical questions. At this time, we will begin the appropriate tests, procedures and treatment. Your wait time will vary depending on the complexity of your tests. The team may need results before continuing your treatment. While you are in the room, you will frequently be updated on the progress of your care. If you need help at any time, please do not hesitate to ask. Your call button is also available to alert your nurse.
Discharge – If hospital care is recommended, you will be admitted. If appropriate treatment services are not available at our hospital, we will help make arrangements for transfer to an appropriate facility. If you are well enough to return home, after-care instructions will be given. Please review your instructions carefully and feel free to ask questions.
Who is Caring for Me?
Physicians – ED physicians are specially trained to treat patients who are acutely ill.
Physician Assistants – Physician assistants work under the supervision of ED physicians.
Nurse Practitioners – Nurse practitioners have advanced degrees and are licensed to practice medicine in collaboration with physicians. They can prescribe medication and care for the needs of ED patients.
Registered Nurses – Our registered nurses undergo special training to care for patients in our ED.
They will monitor your condition, help you with medication and give you instructions for care after you are discharged from the ED. They will also communicate with your family and loved ones to keep them informed of your condition, if you so desire.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Will I Have to Wait?
Our pledge is that a clinical professional (physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner) will work diligently to have our patients initially seen within 30 minutes of their noted arrival.
Based on your illness or injury, the physician or clinical professional may order complex tests while you are in the Emergency Department. These are general estimates of the time required to get test results:
- Medication administration: within 30 minutes
- Blood tests: 1 ½-2 hours
- EKGs: 10-20 minutes
- X-rays: 30-60 minutes
- Ultrasound: 1-2 hours
- CT scans: 1-4 hours
Our staff works hard to provide prompt care. Wait times will vary depending on room availability and how many patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries need care. Please remember: your own primary care physician is the first choice for non-life threatening care.
Can I Have Visitors?
Visitors are welcome in the ED reception area, but the ED is a very busy place, so only one visitor is allowed at a time. If the patient is a child both parents are permitted to remain with the patient unless other children in the family require a parent’s attention in the reception area or away from the ED.
There may be circumstances when visitors are not permitted. The ED reserves the right to restrict visitors at any time when space and situations warrant a temporary reduction in visitors to better serve all of our patients.
Visitors are asked to stay clear of hallways and doorways, and to make phone calls outside.
Visiting children younger than 14 are not allowed in the ED. Under no circumstance should visiting children be left unattended. For the health of our community and especially our younger members, we ask that visiting children stay in the reception area under the watchful eye of an adult.
As a precautionary measure in reducing the spread of infection, when possible please keep the number of visitors to a minimum, even in the reception area. Wash your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer, which is available throughout the ED.
May I Have Medication for Pain?
Often pain medication can hide symptoms, so medication is only given after you have seen the physician. Let the staff know if you are in pain and other accommodations may be provided.
May I Eat or Drink?
Some tests require an empty stomach. Therefore, it is not recommended that you eat or drink unless you have a medical condition that requires food or drink.
Communicating with You
In an effort to keep you updated throughout your visit, we strive to check in regularly with patients and visitors in our reception room and in the patient rooms. This “rounding” is similar to our practice of hourly rounding on all patients admitted to our hospital. Rounding is another component of our dedication to patient safety and satisfaction.
We encourage you to share your experience with any member of the staff. If, for some reason, we did not meet your expectations, please let us know before you leave. You may also call the Director of the Emergency Department at 760-957-3012.
As part of our commitment to quality care, you may receive a phone call from one of our staff members who will check to make sure you understand your discharge instructions and to find out if you need further information from a nurse. During this call, you will also have the opportunity to share your experience in our Emergency Department. Most often, this call is from the phone number 760-957-3000, so please watch for this number on your caller ID.
Barstow Community Hospital's Emergency Department is an approved "Safe Surrender Site" |