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Ask a Trusted Family Member or Friend to Be Your Advocate

Your advocate can ask questions, remember answers, and speak for you when you cannot.

Make sure this person understands your wishes for treatment, resuscitation, and life support by writing them out.

When possible, review consents for treatment with your advocate before you sign and make sure you both understand them.

Make sure your advocate understands your wishes for care when you leave the hospital and knows what to look for if your condition gets worse.

Cover Your Cough

To help prevent the spread of germs please:

n Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze

n If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands

n Put used tissue into a waste basket

n Clean your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand cleaner after coughing or sneezing

Saint Alphonsus Earns Advanced Certification in Inpatient Diabetes Care From the Joint Commission

In May 2010, Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center became the first inpatient diabetes program in Idaho and one of 17 hospitals in the United States to earn a Certificate of Distinction for Advanced Inpatient Diabetes Care from the Joint Commission, the national organization that accredits health care organizations across the United States.

To earn this distinction, Saint Alphonsus’ Inpatient Diabetes program underwent an extensive on-site evaluation by a team of Joint Commission reviewers specializing in diabetes. The program was evaluated against Joint Commission standards through an assessment of the programs processes, the program’s ability to evaluate and improve care across all patient settings, and interviews with patients and staff. Receiving this certification assures all patients with diabetes will receive outstanding care consistent with national best pracice standards in diabetes care.

Know What Medications You Take, Their Effects, and Why You Take Them. Medication Errors Are the Most Common Healthcare Error

Ask your nurse about the medication you are receiving.

Know if you are allergic to medications or food. Tell your doctor and nurses about your allergies or any negative reactions you have had to past medications.

Bring a list of your medications that includes the drug name, the dose, and when you normally take it so the nurse can record this in your record.

Medications you will receive in the hospital are administered by a registered nurse as ordered by your physician. For your own safety, you will not be allowed to take any medications you bring from home.

Expect your nurse to ask your name and date of birth or to check your wristband every time you receive medications. This is proven to be the most effective method for making sure you are getting only the medications that are intended for you.