Settling In

While You're Here

What to Bring

• A list of medications you are taking
• Medical information or records (including X-rays) from your personal physician, if possible
• Your medical insurance information
• Your own nightgown or pajamas, robe, slippers, toiletries, reading glasses, and a small amount of cash, if you wish
• A hair dryer, electric razor, or radio, if you wish
• Please do NOT use your own heating pad, heater, heating blanket, curling iron, VCR, or television set.

Checking In

Each day a large number of patients with different medical needs and schedules comes through Duke University Hospital. We will try to meet your needs during the admission process, but you may meet delays while waiting for your room. We regret any inconvenience.

Your Patient Identification Band

Each patient gets an identification (or "ID") band when checking into Duke University Hospital. The band contains important information about you that helps us meet your individual needs. If you are not wearing your band, you meals and other services may be delayed. Please wear the band throughout your stay. If your band is removed, falls off, or becomes uncomfortable, let your nurse know immediately.

Valuables and Cash

Please give your valuables (jewelry, etc.) and cash over $25 to a relative or friend to take home. If you must keep valuables with you, please contact the Patient Access/Admissions Department at Duke Hospital at 681-2002 to arrange for safekeeping. In the evening and at night, your nurse can help you deposit your valuables in a lock box. The Admissions Department will pick them up for you the next day. Please be advised that the hospital is not responsible for personal items or valuables kept in your room.

Cellular Phones

Cellular phones may not be used in some areas of the hospital. Please ask hospital staff before using a cell phone.

Mail and Flowers

Mail and flower deliveries should be addressed to you with your first and last name (for example, Mary Smith rather than Mrs. John Smith), Duke University Hospital, and room number, if available. Please ask friends and family to mark your letters clearly as "Patient Mail." After you leave the hospital, we will forward your mail to your home address. Please note that flowers are not allowed on some intensive care units.

A Few Safety Tips

• At night: If you need to get up, feel free to call the nurse on duty for help.
• If you're using a wheelchair: Keep your weight well back in the seat. Do not extend your hands and arms outside the chair. Ask for help when getting in and out of the chair. When getting out, make sure you step onto the floor -- not the footrest -- and lock the wheels to prevent rolling.
• Fire drills: To make sure you will be safe in case of fire, Duke often conducts fire drills for staff. If you hear a fire alert, stay calm and in your room. The nurse will make sure you are all right and then close the door so the drill will not disturb you.

No one may smoke inside Duke University Hospital.

Please check at one of the information desks for directions to the outside smoking areas.

People Who Can Help You

During your hospital stay, you will be seen by many health care professionals, including doctors, nurses, technologists, and physician assistants. These staff members work together and with other Duke professionals to plan your treatment and give you top-quality care. Listed below are some of the groups who are here to serve you during your stay.

Nursing Services Team

Duke nurses are recognized for excellence in patient care, nursing practices, leadership, professional growth, and attention to the cultural diversity of staff and patients. The members of your nursing team include registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nursing care assistants who work under the supervision of a nurse manager.

Working with Duke physicians, your nursing team strives to provide you with comprehensive care throughout your stay. If you have questions regarding your nursing care, feel free to ask any member of the nursing team or your nurse manager.

Your plan of care, including teaching and discharge planning, is tailored to meet your needs. Educational materials may be provided to supplement the teaching you receive by nursing staff, medical staff, and other members of the health care team.

Patient Advocates: 919-681-2020

The Department of Patient and Visitor Relations is here to help patients, their families, and visitors at Duke University Hospital. As advocates for you and your family, patient representatives can:

• Listen to and follow up on your concerns or complaints
• Answer questions or direct your request to the right hospital departments
• Orient your visitors to the hospital
• Arrange for special services or direct you to resources in the community

Social Workers: 919-681-4722

Clinical social workers can help you and your family manage the stresses of illness, hospitalization, and treatment. At your request, or the request of other hospital staff, an experienced social worker can meet with you to:

• Discuss your family's needs and concerns
• Assist you in securing available community resources and/or financial assistance
• Provide individual, family, and group counseling

Patient Resource Managers/Case Managers: 919-668-2483

Patient Resource Managers work closely with the physician and health care team to coordinate your care throughout your hospitalization and to make sure you have the resources you need once you leave the hospital and return to your community. Patient Resource Mangers work with you and:

• Your health care team to make sure and your family understand and can actively participate in the plan of care,
• Your insurance company to obtain approval/payment for services,
• Health care agencies you may need to continue your care once you leave the hospital.

Case managers are available in areas where the Patient Resource Management Program has not yet been established. Case Managers ensure communication between you, your medical team, and your insurance company to obtain approval/payment for services.

Discharge planning needs in areas not yet covered by the Patient Resource Management Program will be covered by the Department of Social Work. To learn whether you are in an area served by Case Managers or Patient Resource Managers, ask your nurse.

Pain Management Team

All of us at Duke want your hospitalization to be as painless as possible. Your provider will ask you whether you are in pain to make sure that your needs are met. Please let him or her know if you are in any discomfort. He or she can help you understand your options for pain and symptom management, and help you recover. For more information, please talk to your health care provider.

Volunteers: 919-681-6088

Volunteers are a special part of your support network here at Duke. They serve in more than 20 different programs, and do everything from providing entertainment to offering a listening ear. If you would like a volunteer to visit you, please contact the Volunteer Program Coordinator at 919-681-6088.

Ethics Consultation Service: 919-970-8209 (pager)

Duke University Hospital's Ethics Consultation Services (ECS) helps caregivers, patients, and patient's families resolve ethical issues surrounding patient care. These issues may include starting or withdrawing life support, and patients' and families' rights to refuse recommended therapies or limit therapeutic efforts.

The ECS includes physicians, nurses, social workers, and chaplains. They may consult with others who have expertise related to the concern at hand. The ECS is solely an advisory service. There are no charges for an ethics consultation. You may request a consultation by paging the number above.

Duke Pastoral Services: 919-684-3586

Duke University Hospital chaplains minister to all who desire spiritual support. If you would like to see a chaplain, or have a chaplain contact a representative of your own faith, your nurse can make the arrangements. There is a chapel on the sixth floor of Duke University Hospital, where ecumenical chapel services are held at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. Sunday services at the Duke University Chapel are broadcast on Channel 50 at 11 a.m.

Bereavement Services: 919-684-4750

Duke Bereavement Services representatives help support patients and families before, during, and after a death. They educate people, coordinate services, and refer people to helpful resources both within the Medical Center and in the community.

Decedent Care Program: 919-668-6311

Part of Bereavement Services, the Decedent Care program makes sure that all the details at the time of death of a patient are handled in a thorough and sensitive manner. The program helps coordinate the paperwork when a patient dies, provides helpful and clear information to the deceased family, and helps the family make arrangements with a funeral home.

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Duke Inpatient Services

Foreign Language Interpreters: 919-681-3007

• Interpreter services can be arranged for any language. Services are free to patients.
• If we don't have interpreters on-site for a language, Duke University Hospital uses a telephone service provided by Cyracom that offers 150 languages for your convenience.

Services for Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Patients: 919-681-2020

• Sign Language Interpreters: If you need this free service, contact someone on your health care team.
• Closed Caption Devices: Your TV remote control can turn on your TV's closed captioning system. Contact your nurse for assistance if needed.
• Door Sensors: For visual sensor to tell you when someone is knocking at your door, call 919-681-2020.
• Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDD): Call 919-681-2020 to make arrangements for this free service.

Services for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired: 919-681-2020

Resources include a Touchable Art Gallery, Triangle Radio Reading Service, refer to TV Guide, materials on audiocassette tape, Patient Rights in Braille materials, and more.

Environmental Services (Housekeeping): 919-681-2727

• Between 6 a.m. - 10 p.m., please call 681-2727.
• Between 10 p.m. - 6 a.m., please ask your nurse to page the Environmental Services Manager.

Newspapers

• Newspapers are delivered to each inpatient unit at Duke University Hospital. There is a small fee for this service.
• Local and out-of-town papers are also sold in the shuttle lobbies of Duke University Hospital and Duke Clinic.

Telephone

The phone number for your room is located on the telephone.

Local calls (Durham and within the hospital): no charge

• Dial the number
• Dial 0 for assistance

Long distance calls (inside and outside the 919 area code)

• Dial 0 + area code + number
• All long distance calls must be made collect or billed to your credit card or home phone.
• Prepaid phone cards are available for purchase in the Hospital Gift Shop.

Shopping

Hospital Auxiliary Shopping Carts regularly visit patient care units to sell toiletries, stationary, reading material, and other items. Gift shops are located in the lobbies of Duke University Hospital, Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center, and Duke Clinic.

Hair Care Services: 919-681-2020

If your health care team approves, you can have a hairstylist visit your room. Please pay the hairstylist or barber at the time of service.

Lost and Found: 919-681-2020

If you lose a personal item during your stay, tell your nurse immediately so that every effort can be made to find it.

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Duke Food Services

Food Service: Inpatients

Duke University Hospital serves quality foods to meet individual preferences. Unless you are on a special diet, you can select your meals each day for the following day.

Patient meals are served during the following times: Breakfast 7:15 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. Lunch 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Dinner 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Since you may not be in your room at these times, or you may not feel like eating just then, the serving hours are flexible. Ask your nurse if you have questions about delivery times. Nurses may order trays through late-night service until 11:30 p.m.

Special Diets

• Kosher meals are available on request.
• If you have special dietary needs, a dietitian will visit you to discuss your meal plans. The dietitian can also help you if your physician wants you to follow a special diet after you return home.

If Your Guests Bring You Food

Please let your nurse know if your guests bring food. Eating some foods may interfere in your physician's plan for your care.

Food Service: Visitors

Your visitors may choose from a variety of dining options.

Guest Meals

Family and friends can order a meal to eat with you in your room. Guest meals are available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and are served with the patient's tray. To order, contact your nurse or the unit coordinator stationed at the nursing desk before 7 a.m. for breakfast, 11 a.m. for lunch, and 4 p.m. for dinner. Payment is to be in cash only. Food Services personnel will collect your payment before the meal.

Duke Dining Services

For daily menus, call 919-681-DINE.

Atrium Cafeteria

Open daily for visitors and staff from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.. We offer a variety of choices to satisfy your visitors' dining needs. The North Atrium serves breakfast from 6:30 a.m to 10 a.m. Dinner is served from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Duke Clinic Food Court

Open Monday through Friday in the Duke Clinic building from 6:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

The Commons

Open Monday through Friday in the Searle Center. Features fine dining with gourmet soups, salads, a buffet and hot-carved roast meats, as well as specialty items prepared to order. Visa and MasterCard accepted. Please ask at information desk for additional directions

Lunch is served from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Vending Machines

Vending machines are located in the Cafeteria, Food Court, and the service elevator lobbies on the patient care floors of Duke University Hospital. They are also located in several elevator lobbies (3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th floors).

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Banking Services

ATM machines are available in the PRT (shuttle) lobbies on the T level of Duke Hospital and ground floor of Duke Clinic.

Full service banking is available at Wachovia Bank and Trust, located on the first floor of Duke Clinic. Family members can have a personal check cashed at this bank (not to exceed the amount of $50, limit two checks per week, proper identification and room number required). The bank is open from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Friday.

U.S. Postal Service money orders can be cashed at the Bryan Center Post Office, located on the Duke University campus, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

The following 24-hour automatic tellers are available:

Located in Duke Hospital

• Bank of America
• BB&T
• Duke Employee Credit Union
• Wachovia

Located in Duke Clinic

• SunTrust
• Duke Employee Credit Union
• Wachovia

Located in Durham Regional Hospital

• SunTrust

Located in Duke Raleigh Hospital

• Wachovia

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