Reducing the Risk of Infection

We are committed to providing high quality care in a safe and clean environment. Our clinical staff will take every measure to minimise the risk of infection, however, the prevention and control of infection is everyone’s responsibility including staff, doctors, patients and visitors.  

Patients and visitors can reduce the risk of infection by:

• Washing hands after going to the bathroom and before eating and using the alcohol-based hand rub when entering and leaving the hospital and patient rooms. This is the single most important action in preventing infection. 
• Asking staff to perform hand hygiene if there are concerns this has not been performed. 
• Not touching any dressings over drips, lines, tubes or drains inserted in their or their loved one's body.
• Telling a nurse if any wounds, drips, lines, tubes or drains become red, swollen or painful, or if the dressing becomes loose or wet. They will check the site. Drips may need to be removed and replaced on some occasions.
• Keeping the over-bed table and bedside locker uncluttered to assist cleaning staff to access all surfaces. Visitors should also avoid sitting on patients' beds or using patients' bathrooms. Public toilets are available on each floor.
• Covering their mouth and nose with a tissue when they cough or sneeze, or sneeze into your elbow, and clean their hands after with alcohol based hand sanitiser or soap and water. 
• Avoiding visiting the hospital if they are feeling unwell (this includes children as well), including cold and flu symptoms and not visiting if they have suffered from any gastroenteritis symptoms for at least 48 hours after symptoms have ceased. 

Pain Management

Our staff care about your pain. By controlling your pain well during your surgical recovery, you are likely to recover faster and reduce the risk of other complications.

Depending on the nature of your admission, your doctor or anaesthetist may give you options for pain relief. These may include oral tablets, PCA (Patient Controlled Analgesia), and injections. Nurses will regularly ask you to rate your pain on a scale of one to ten (with ten being most painful) and discuss with you the most appropriate form of pain relief. 

Your pain should score no more than three or four out of ten. The most important thing you can do is ask for pain relief before you get too uncomfortable or before tasks such as showering or physiotherapy. Frequent, low dose pain relief often provides good control, reducing the need for stronger pain relievers that may have increased side effects. Other options include hot and cold packs, a warm shower and changes of position.

Medication Safety

Please bring all of the medications that you take with you to hospital including vitamins, herbal medicines such as St Johns Wort, and over-the-counter medications such as Omega 3 and multivitamins.

All medications must be administered to you by a registered/enrolled nurse or doctor. If you are on regular medications, please inform your healthcare team. You may find that some of your normal medicines will not be given during your hospital stay as they may interact with other medications we administer, or procedures and treatments you may be having. Please also inform us during your admission of any allergies or sensitivities you may have. 

Please also note that we are unable to administer medications from Webster packs, Dosette boxes or any medications not in their original dispensed packs. If medications are brought to the hospital in this form, new medications will be supplied from the hospital pharmacy. This may result in a cost to the patient depending on their health fund coverage.

To ensure you receive the right medication at the right time, we will always ask for your name, date of birth and if you have any allergies, prior to administering all medications. You can help to further reduce the potential for problems with medications by:

• Asking your healthcare team about any new medications including what they are, what they do, when they are to be taken, and any potential side effects. Become familiar with their names and dosages.
• Making sure the doctors and nurses check your wrist identification band prior to administering medications.
• Telling your healthcare team if you have any concerns or require clarification regarding your medications and treatments.

We will provide you with information, or one of our pharmacists may visit you to discuss any new medications you need to take after discharge.

Delirium

Delirium is a common medical condition that is characterised by fluctuating changes in mental function, occurring more often among older people. It may also be seen in patients following a surgical procedure as well as in those with:

• Illness
• Dementia
• Increasing age (e.g. 70 years or older)
• Depression
• Poor eyesight
• Poor hearing
• Multiple medications (particularly sleeping, pain or psychiatric drugs)

People with delirium show signs of confusion, and may appear either very agitated, quiet or drowsy. The onset of delirium is always sudden. It usually only lasts a few days but may persist for longer periods. Delirium can be a serious condition, but it is usually treatable. 

A person with delirium may require special nursing care and closer observation. Family members and carers can provide valuable information to the nurses and doctors caring for the person with delirium. It is important to notify nurses of any sudden changes in a person’s mental or physical condition. 

Our goal is to ensure people experiencing delirium are provided a safe environment to optimise healing. Care for patients experiencing delirium may involve:

• Tests to identify the underlying cause of the delirium
• Decreasing stimuli and providing specialised care
• Activities designed to help the person with delirium settle into the hospital environment, e.g. providing fiddle blankets 
• In certain situations, and only after other options have been explored, care may also involve use of medications and/or physical aids.

If you have questions about delirium, speak with your doctor or nurse.