For Visitors
Visitors can help lift the spirits of patients and help with their recuperation process. We want you to enjoy your time at St. Francis Medical Center while you are visiting your hospitalized family member or friend. To provide the best care, security, privacy and comfort for all patients, we ask you to follow these guidelines for hospital visits:
- Be sure children are well supervised by an adult at all times. Children may not play in the halls or stairwells. To avoid spreading germs and infection to the patient, any child who might have a cold or fever should not come to the hospital.
- Keep in mind all patients' need for rest, quiet and privacy. Discourage family and friends with colds, sore throats and other viruses or infections from visiting the patient in the hospital. Since patients are susceptible to contagious illnesses, encourage ill well-wishers to call, write or email instead.
- Respect all "no visitor," "isolation" or any other signs that have been ordered by the attending physician.
- Observe our need for quiet. Have conversations quietly and in private. Place your cell phone on vibrate.
- Visit in small groups or three or less. Larger groups can be overwhelming to patients and can intrude into other families' needs for privacy.
- End your visit by 9 pm when the evening prayer is read and the lights are dimmed.
Condition H (Help) Ext. 1111
We believe in delivering the safest care possible. Open
communication with the nurse and care team is the key to ensure
we are aware of the patient's needs. A family member may notice a
change in the patient's condition before the nurse, doctor or
other provider does. The change may be subtle and noticeable only
to someone who is close to that person. Calling a Condition H is
like calling 911 when in the hospital. The team responding
includes a nurse, respiratory therapist and if needed, a doctor.
Other providers who care for you during your stay such as the
care coordinator, social worker and chaplain are also available.
Your nurse can contact them for you.
When to Call a Condition H
If you notice a sudden, medical change in the patient's condition
including difficulty breathing, a sudden onset of confusion, or
he/she is becoming less responsive. If you have serious concerns
about how the patient's care is being planned or managed and you
are not getting the response you need from your care team. For
more information about Condition H, talk to your nurse. Thank you
for being our partner in care.