Your Care and Treatment
Your care and treatment in this hospital will be based on the best and most recent advancement in healthcare. As an in-patient, you will have a team working together to assure that you receive the finest care available. You and your family members are the most important part of this team. We encourage you to ask questions and offer your opinions in your treatment and care. If you have any concern about your care, we encourage you to contact your doctor or the nurse.


Consent to Treatment
While you are in hospital, doctors will explain any proposed treatment to help you decide whether or not to agree to it. We must by law obtain your written consent to any operation and many other procedures (including investigations). There are duty doctors who will explain the risks, benefits and any alternatives. You will then be asked to sign a consent form. If you are doubtful about any aspect of the treatment proposed you may request to speak to the Nurse Supervisor or Duty Doctor. Some procedures do not require formal written consent, but nursing staff will explain the risks, benefits and alternatives before asking for your verbal consent.
 

Diagnostic Tests
During your stay you might have to undergo various tests to find out more about your condition. The attending staff will arrange your test at a convenient time. Information leaflets are available about the tests. Please ask the Customer Support Secretary to provide you the same.
 

Medical Information
Whenever you come to hospital, we will ask you for some information, which is relevant to your care. Please tell staff if you:

• Have any allergy to any specific medicines or foods
• Have been taking any medicines
• Have any valuables or money to be stored


Preparation before Surgery

Things to Tell
If you let your care provider (doctor/nurse) know these things they can take better care of you: 

• How to contact your family
• Foods you do not like or food allergies
• Any unusual allergies to medicines or tests dyes
• Eye or hearing problems
• Who will be with you at home after surgery
• Whether you are on any blood thinner for example: Aspirin or Ceruvin

Consent Forms
You or your relative has to sign the Consent Form prior to the Surgery or Procedure.


Pre-Anesthetic check (PAC)
PAC will be done prior to your surgery by a qualified anesthetist to ensure that you understand the procedure to be undertaken and the likely postoperative course. It basically involves assessment of the general medical status and fitness for anesthesia.


Preparation on the day of Surgery


Nothing by Mouth (NBM)
The reason for this NBM is to prevent you from vomiting during anesthesia administration, which may then cause complications. Fasting periods are six hours for food and two hours for clear fluids before your surgery. Drinking tea / coffee with skimmed milk is recommended. These guidelines are for patients having a general anesthetic. Patients who are having surgery under local anesthesia are allowed to eat and drink as normal. If your mouth gets too dry, you can rinse it with water but DO NOT SWALLOW IT.
 

Things for your family to ask
Your family should ask for the following information from your nurse before you go to the operating room:

• The time of surgery
• Visiting Hours
• Progress reports – who will give them and how often
• Your location after surgery
• Visiting time and place after surgery
• Items you are allowed to keep within intensive care, if you are shifted there
• What would be done with your clothing, glasses, hearing aid, dentures etc?
• Detainments of room after you are taken for surgery.


Pre operative preparation
There are a few things, which might be done to your body like removing body hair, cleaning the skin with betadine, removing nail polish and lipstick etc.

 
What to wear
On the day of surgery you should wake up early enough to take a shower, shave (men) and brush your teeth. You will be provided a gown to wear to the operating room. You will be asked to remove dentures, hairpins, jewelry, hairpieces, and nail polish, make up including lipstick, contact lenses, prosthesis/ false limbs, and all undergarments.
 

Transfer to the Operating Theatre
You will be wheeled into the theatre on stretcher/wheelchair accompanied by your nurse on the scheduled time and day.
 

Anesthesia Administration
Your anesthetist, as part of procedure, may ask you to breathe oxygen through a mask and tubing for approximately two minutes. Although this is sometimes claustrophobic, it is an important part of the procedure. You may feel more comfortable holding the mask by yourself.

Your anesthetist is always with you throughout your surgery and will wake you up at the end of the procedure. The time you are kept asleep is determined by the length of the procedure. At the completion of your operation, you will be transferred to the post operative room where you may take some time to wake-up before you return to the ward. Anesthesia often causes amnesia so you may not recall anything of your visit to the operating theatre.
 

DRIP
You may have seen patients with bottles/bags of fluid connected to their arm either in hospitals you have visited or on television. This is known as a “drip”. There are a variety of reasons why you may need a “drip”, which will be determined and prescribed by your doctor. In theatres your anesthetist may prescribe a drip to maintain your fluid levels during surgery and throughout your postoperative period.
 

After the Surgery

Length of stay in the Post Operative Room
This depends on the type of surgery, and the type of anesthesia. If you have had general anesthesia you will be monitored for a minimum of twenty minutes, but the ward nurse may not collect you until the team member caring for you arranges for you to go back to your room/ward. Each person responds differently to general anesthesia.
 
If you have had an operation before and you were sick, tell the anesthetist when he/she comes to see you in your room/ward . Alternatively, express your concerns to a team member, and if you have not already seen an anesthetist tell him/her in the anesthetic room. Once in recovery we will make you as comfortable as we can, which may include anti-sickness medications.
 

Pain
Pain tolerance is an individual characteristic. Everyone feels some pain after surgery but the perceived magnitude of pain differs for each person. It may be particularly severe within first few hours. Pain medicine will be administered as appropriate. It lets you rest and move around with more ease. Pain medication works best if you do not wait too long to ask for it. If you do not let your nurse know about your pain, he/she may think you do not need relief.


Food / Drink
This depends on the type of the surgery you are having, however, if it is minor surgery and you feel thirsty while in the post operative room, then sips of water will be offered to you. If you have had major surgery and are awake then sips of water will be offered, provided you can tolerate without feeling nauseas. Your surgeon will be able to tell you when you may be able to tolerate solid food after surgery.


Visit from your family after surgery at visiting hours unless renegotiated with the nursing team
When your family leaves after a visit, they should tell you and your nurse whether they can be reached and when they plan to return. Note: Depending on your recuperative abilities and the type of surgery you had, you will be transferred either to the ward or the critical care unit.