Your Stay
Admissions | Your Room | Hospitalists | Calling the Nurse | Medications | Protection from Infections
Pain Management | Leaving the Hospital | Your Opinion Matters
If your admission at Beaufort County Medical Center is planned in advance, please arrive at the time scheduled by your physician. Once you arrive at the hospital, you will check in at the Admissions Department. The Admissions Department is located at the main entrance of the hospital. Please be sure to bring your living will and durable power of attorney health care forms and insurance identification cards, including Medicare and Medicaid if applicable. If you have an individual health insurance plan, please bring a copy of your policy information. This information allows us to determine whether your hospitalization costs will be adequately covered or if additional financial arrangements should be made.
If you were admitted through the Emergency Department, someone from the Admissions Department will contact you and assist you with admission papers and other necessary forms. If your visit is scheduled, there are several things that you should consider to help you prepare for your stay.
What To Bring
The following checklist will help you prepare for your visit at Beaufort County Medical Center
• Night clothes, robe, rubber-soled slippers, etc. (hospital gowns are available)
• Personal toiletries (makeup, razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, dentures, etc.)
• Reading materials, personal address book, etc.
• Small amount of money for magazines, snacks, etc.
• Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney
If you are packing for your child, you may wish to include:
• Comfortable night clothes (children’s hospital gowns are available)
• A special toy or two, clearly labeled with your child’s name
• Coloring books, crayons, books, etc.
Important papers you MUST bring:
• Medical insurance cards and claim forms
• Social Security Card
• Name and address of employer
• Name, address and telephone number of closest family member
• List of all medications you are currently taking
What NOT To Bring
Please leave the following items at home:
• Large amounts of money
• Jewelry and other valuables
• Tobacco products
• Electrical appliances that must be plugged into an outlet; including heating pads, electric blankets, hair dryers, curling irons, space heaters, etc.
You have been assigned to a hospital unit to meet your specific needs. The staff in each of these units is specially trained to understand your needs and take care of you. Most of our patient rooms are private. It may be necessary to transfer you to a different room during your stay. These moves are necessary to provide the best possible care to all our patients. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding should a transfer become necessary.
We assure that you will receive quality care when you are a patient at Beaufort County Medical Center. Each room has a toilet and a sink and some rooms may have a shower. Most hospital beds are adjustable for your comfort. Please ask your nurse to assist you with the controls.
Your personal doctor may have joined with Beaufort County Medical Center and other physicians in the area to offer the hospitalist program. Your personal doctor is not always at the hospital. Therefore, your care may be managed by one of our hospital doctors who are specially trained in hospital care. The hospitalist program works with your personal doctor to make sure your medical needs are met during your stay. If you do not have a personal doctor, we can help arrange for follow-up care when you leave the hospital. The hospitalist physician will monitor your condition, consult with your personal doctor, and provide medical care when you need it. You will have more efficient medical attention – and faster pain relief. Because hospitalist physicians are on-site to review lab results, you may even get to go home earlier.
Each patient has access to a nurse call system. The buttons are located on a hand held unit. Push the button on the hand held unit if you need help. Your call will be answered through a speaker in your room. Do not hesitate to call a nurse if you need help.
We ask that you not take your personal medications while you are a patient in the hospital. Your nurse will provide you with medicines as ordered by your doctor. Please send your other medications home with your family. If a family member is not available, contact your nurse.
In order to prevent the spread of germs among patients and healthcare workers that could lead to infection, all workers are expected to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before entering and when leaving the patient’s room. Expect our staff to clean their hands before they provide care to you. Remind them if they forget. Other ways to prevent infection include covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough with a tissue or your upper arm. Please ask your friends and family not to visit if they are sick.
There are certain circumstances that require patients to be placed in isolation as a precaution to prevent
the spread of germs and disease. We ask that you also help protect yourself by washing your hands as often as possible with antibacterial soap and warm water. There are hand sanitizers strategically placed throughout the hospital for your convenience. We ask that visitors clean their hands properly before entering or exiting a patient’s room.
At Beaufort County Medical Center we are committed to the management and relief of your pain. As a patient at BCMC you have the right to receive information about pain prevention and management. You also have the right to expect health professionals who respond quickly to reports of pain,
state-of-the-art pain management, and dedicated pain relief specialists.
To help us ensure that your pain is managed properly, ask your physician or nurse what to expect regarding pain and pain management, discuss pain relief options with your physician and nurses, work with your doctor to develop a pain management plan, ask for pain relief as soon as it first begins, tell your physician or nurse if your pain is not relieved, and tell your physician and nurse about any concerns or worries you have in regards to your pain medication.
By helping us assess your pain and through your cooperation, we will be better able to treat your pain in a timely and effective manner. Everyone reacts differently to pain and your tolerance for pain depends on a number of different things. You are the only one who truly knows how much pain you feel and what methods ease your pain.
Be honest with your doctors and nurses and do not worry about bothering staff; DO NOT TRY TO TOUGH IT OUT. You may be asked to rate your pain on a scale from 1 to 10. After pain medications are given, you will be asked again to rate your pain. When asked to describe your pain, there are several words that you can use: cramp, sharp, ache, burning, dull, constant, off-and-on, etc. Be sure to keep the staff updated on the status of your pain. Together we can make your stay at Beaufort County Medical Center and your recovery as comfortable as possible.
While we hope your visit to Beaufort County Medical center is pleasant, we know going home is the best part of your stay. Our primary goal is to provide the kind of care that will allow you to be discharged as promptly as possible.
Your doctor, nurse, and appropriate allied health professional will tell you and your family about your discharge and how to take care of yourself when you return home. This includes diet, bathing, exercise, medications, etc. They will also arrange for equipment you will need for further recovery at home. The Department of Patient and Family Services can help you arrange for nursing home care or special health services in your home. You may reach the Department of Patient and Family Services at extension 4231.
If you are having a problem during your stay, please contact the Staff Services Department at extension 4202 or email gfloyd@brhealthsystem.org to assist you in addressing the problem. If you need assistance after hours, please ask for the nursing supervisor.
We measure how well we have met patients’ expectations through the use of an outside agency. You may receive a call from HealthStream Research after you have been discharged from our facility. Please share your comments with them. Your private responses to the survey will be kept anonymous and confidential. All of the information you provide will be used as part of our ongoing efforts to improve patient care. No one at the hospital will be able to trace your responses to your name. Your honest feedback will help us improve services for all of our patients.
The telephone number you provided and the area where you were treated will be shared with HealthStream Research; however, we will not share any other personal information about your care or your medical status.
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Beaufort Regional Health System
628 East 12th Street, Washington, NC 27889