- Pack only your most necessary belongings and toiletries for your hospital stay.
- Do not bring any of these into the hospital room: alcohol, drugs, perishable food, personal appliances, etc., items, flowers and potted plants, huge bulky bags and items that could endanger your and other patients’ safety in the room. Ask your relatives not to do so either.
- Ensure the TV sound in the hospital room does not disturb the peace of other patients.
SMOKING IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN IN THE HOSPITAL PREMISES. There are specially designed places in the Hospital back yard for smokers.
Security and Safety
Before admission:
- Leave all valuables and jewelry in a safe place in your home
- Leave contact information, tell your neighbors, relatives, colleagues for your scheduled hospital stay
- Check whether you have unplugged all appliances, and closed the windows at home before heading for admission; leave a key of your flat with someone you trust.
You are strongly advised not to bring valuables, jewelry, etc. with you in the Hospital. If you wish, you can still use the Central Registry safe – you will be given a receipt, describing in detail what you leave for keeping. The Hospital will not be held responsible for valuables not deposited in the safe.
In view of the normal flow of the treatment process and your calm stay in the Hospital we have provided round-the-clock security and video surveillance. If necessary, the guard may request to check your luggage.
Patients, their companions and visitors enter and exit only through the main entrance and use only the elevators in the main lobby – from 07:30 am to 08:00 pm. After 08:00 pm patients who need medical care should use the Emergency (ER) entrance. After 08:00 pm visitors to patients are strictly prohibited from entering the building.
IMPORTANT!
YOU SHALL NOT LEAVE THE CLINIC EXCEPT UNDER YOUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY AND ONLY AFTER SIGNING AN INFORMED CONSENT ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS DECISION OF YOURS.
Medication (Drug) Intake
If you are given a drug therapy it is very important for you to know what medications you should take. This means you must know the name of the medications, their intake dosage, how often, when and what is the expected duration of this therapy. Moreover, do not be afraid to ask about possible side effects, what diet you should follow while taking them. This information will help you exactly perform the physician’s recommendations, by properly intaking the prescribed medications. Do not hesitate to inform the staff (your treating physician or the nurse who is looking after you), in case you receive drugs:
- other than those prescribed for you;
- dosage different than what you were prescribed;
- not in the scheduled time when you should take them.
During your hospital stay, please observe the following established rules on medication use:
- Do not use personal medications without first consulting your treating physician. Please give them to the medical staff – they will store them in the Department medication cabinet. Their intake will be ensured by the nurse who is looking after for you.
- If during your stay, a relative of yours, especially if they are a health care provider, brings in medications (drugs), IMMEDIATELY notify the medical staff in the Department. Please do not take any medications without informing the Hospital staff.
- Inform your treating physician if you have any allergies to medications (drugs) or anything else.
Prevention and Control of Nosocomial Infections
In Acibadem City Clinic, a program for prevention and control of nosocomial infections has been introduced in accordance with the Bulgarian legislation and international requirements and initiatives. In this regard, we would like to inform you about the performance of specific actions in order to limit the spread of infections within the Hospital.
- You should always wash your hands when you use the bathroom (toilet) as well as before/after touching food, banknotes [bills], medications, etc. Ask your relatives who visit you to do the same.
- Please do not sit on other patients’ bed, neither allow your relatives sit on your bed. Let them use chairs instead.
- For more information related to hand hygiene, you can read the Acibadem City Clinic brochure or talk to a nurse.
In addition, please explain the need of proper hygiene to those who come to visit you while you are in the Hospital – relatives and friends. Please make a comment to the staff, too, if you note they do not disinfect their hands either.
Fall Risk
Upon your admission at Acibadem City Clinic one of the very first things a nurse in the Department is going to do is to assess your risk of falling. Falls can lead to serious consequences for you, including extending your hospital stay, and our goal is to ensure your safety while minimizing this risk.
Please get familiar with and observe the following recommendations in order to reduce the fall risk while you are being treated here:
- A signal system is located in your vicinity, beside each bed, so you have easy access to it when needed. Get familiar how this system works and tell a nurse if you cannot reach it.
- Do not get yourself out of bed, if you think you need a companion, especially if you are a patient at risk of falling (if you are wearing an orange bracelet). Use the alarm system to call a nurse.
- Do not change the position of the side protective handles on your bed without talking to someone from the staff. The handles ensure your safety.
- If necessary, use the support handles mounted in the bathroom walls – they ensure your safety, too.
- Immediately alert the personnel in the Department in case you find a fault (defect) in the alarm system or other appliances which may endanger your safety.
- Use a wheelchair and the lift in the hospital, if necessary.
- Wear comfortable non-slippery mules.
- After you wake up but before getting out of bed, give yourself some time in order to avoid dizziness, etc.
- Get up slowly after you have been lying or in a sitting position, or ask a nurse for help.
- Do not be afraid to ask a nurse to assess your falling risk, if you believe you are at risk of falling. Talk about it with your family, too.
Fire Safety
For your own safety, we have placed evacuation plans and have clearly marked the emergency exits in case of fire.
Before Your Discharge from Acibadem City Clinic
When you are to be discharged from City Clinic, be sure you are informed in advance what regime and lifestyle to observe in order to have beneficial outcome after your treatment. In this case, you could ask the following:
- Do I have to follow a specific regime after I go home?
- What should I do in order to fully recover?
- Is there anything I should not do after I am discharged?
You need to know exactly what to do and who to look for in case of need. If your treatment requires follow-up care or examinations, you should be informed. You might also ask your treating physician or nurse:
- Do I need to come back for a check-up? If yes, when and where?
- When can I go back to my old way of life [old habits]?
- Can I expect any problems in the future as a result of my disease and if yes, who should I contact?
If you do not understand the information you are given, ask the physician or the nurse to repeat it.
On the day of your discharge, your treating physician will give you a Discharge Summary in 2 (two) copies – containing information about the therapy administered to you during the hospital stay at Acibadem City Clinic. Give one copy to your General Practitioner to attach it to your medical file.
If you have further questions or concerns you can always ask to talk to a physician or a nurse before being discharged from Acibadem City Clinic.
