Your Care Team

YOUR CARE TEAM MAY INCLUDE:

• Your attending doctor — the doctor responsible for coordinating care while you are in the hospital.
• Consulting doctors — your attending doctor may ask other doctors (e.g., surgeons, specialists, your family doctor) to help with a certain part of your medical care while you are in the hospital.

Doctors in various stages of their medical training may help in your care under the supervision of your attending doctor. This may include:

• Medical students
• Residents (finished medical school and in residency training)
• Nursing staff (including nurses, patient care assistants and technicians, nurse practitioners, case managers, and educators)
• Other care givers (Social workers, Discharge planners, Dietitians, Pharmacists, Respiratory therapists, Quality Management Team, Physical and occupational therapists)

BLOOD INVESTIGATIONS:

The lab technician may come into your room in the middle of the night to draw blood. This helps us get the blood work results back so that your doctor can see them on morning rounds, and helps to coordinate your care more efficiently. We appreciate your cooperation.

MANAGING YOUR PAIN:

We understand you may have pain for many different reasons. We believe you have the right to treatment of your pain during all aspects of your care. Our goal is to treat your pain so that you will be comfortable and so that pain does not interfere with your recovery or impact your quality of life. Pain should be managed at a level that is acceptable to you.

You can expect to get information about pain and pain relief measure from our concerned staff. They are committed to preventing and managing pain. Grant Medical Center also has a Pain Service with dedicated pain relief specialists.

So that our staff can offer you the best care, please talk to your doctor or nurse about: 

• What to expect regarding pain and how it will be managed.
• Pain relief options.
• A pain management plan for you.
• Tell your nurse.
• When pain first begins so we can provide for pain relief.
• How your pain feels.
• If your pain is not relieved.
• If you have any worries about taking pain medicine.
• Do not smoke, drink alcohol, use illicit drugs, take medicine or substances such as herbal extracts, stimulants or other medicines not authorized by your doctor.

COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES

Complementary Therapies are available that may help to reduce your pain and help you relax. Complementary medicine is defined as unconventional treatments used in addition to treatments prescribed by your doctor. With medicine, they can help:

• Reduce your pain.
• Reduce stress and anxiety.
• Relax you.
• Provide comfort.
• Strengthen your immune system.
• Promote a quicker recovery.

PALLIATIVE CARE:

Palliative care focuses on comfort and quality of life for families and patients dealing with a chronic or serious illness. The Palliative Care Team (doctor, clinical nurse specialist, social worker, pharmacist, and clinical psychologist) works with your doctor to plan care to help improve your comfort and quality of life.

For more information or for a palliative care consult, ask your doctor to write a request or call (+973) 17766666. Most insurance companies pay for palliative care. It is included as a part of your hospital bill.

PALLIATIVE CARE CAN HELP YOU AND YOUR FAMILY:

• Understand your illness and treatment options.
• Feel better and improve your quality of life.
• Deal with the stresses of the illness.
• Answer questions.
• Help answering and solving difficult decisions concered with your health care.
• Obtain community resources.
• Get spiritual support.

YOU MAY BENEFIT FROM PALLIATIVE CARE IF YOU:

• Have a chronic or serious illness.
• Have a hard time managing complicated or many medical problems.
• Have intense or many psychosocial, spiritual and/or caregiver needs.
• Are often in the emergency department or are re-admitted to the hospital.
• Need support with end-of-life decisions.