When you or someone you love is hospitalized, you face the challenge of not only having to quickly understand what illness you’re dealing with and how it will be treated, but also, how to arrange for the assistance and supplies that will be needed after you leave the hospital.
Add to this the fact that you may be partially incapacitated in some way and it’s easy to see why many patients and their families become overwhelmed during a hospitalization. Huge new demands are suddenly placed on your abilities to both understand complex medical information and arrange and pay for unexpected expenses, like therapies and medical equipment.
As a physician who specializes in the care and treatment of hospital patients every day, I see patients and families regularly who are struggling with the aforementioned problems. And, I know that they can ultimately affect your health and recovery.
So, to ensure that you and your loved ones know what types of information you’ll need before, during and after your hospital stay, as well as how to obtain it and who in your care team can provide it, I’ve compiled a checklist to help your time in the hospital go as smoothly as possible ““ and reduce or eliminate some of the demands on your emotions, wallet and time.
Take these three simple steps:
- Print copies of this checklist and take it with you to the hospital, or give a copy to your loved one
- Make sure to obtain the information stipulated in each checkpoint
- Write it down in pencil, so you can make changes as needed as time and your condition changes
All of this will help you and your family take charge of your situation.
Rajeev Kurapati is a physician with St. Elizabeth Healthcare and author of the award-winning book “Unbound Intelligence: Discover the God Within.”
