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For patients at Duke University Hospital

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there is no typical experience.

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Each individual faces a unique set

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 of emotional and physical challenges.

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What all patients share is the need to
 understand

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 their medical care and to know the
 people who are providing it.

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When we first learned that my son was
 seriously ill,

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 the news in itself was shocking

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 and overwhelming and 

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facing going to someplace with which we weren't
 familiar except

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 by reputation, was also overwhelming.

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When we got here, we were

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 extremely pleased.

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The experience was extremely positive
 from

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 the way in which everybody handled us in
 terms of friendliness,

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 and answering our questions, and giving
 us information

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 to the concern, and caring for

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 my son and for us as his parents.

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Sometimes some patients come to a place
 this size

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 they feel overwhelmed. 

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They feel like perhaps they shouldn't ask
 questions or things

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 that they should already know, and they
 tend

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 sometimes to lose their sense of
 control.

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What is helpful for them to remember is
 that they can

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 have some sense of control when they ask
 questions,

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 when they're able to get answers

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 to their concerns, and to also
 participate

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 in letting us know what is they would
 like to get from their

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 hospitalization.

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Learning who your nurses are from the
 care nurse

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 who meets your daily needs to the head
 nurse who manages

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 the entire unit will help you feel a
 sense

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 of connection with the entire medical
 team,

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 which is large and sometimes confusing.

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Patients at Duke are often surprised by
 the wide

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 array of individuals in white coats that
 visit their rooms.

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These individuals may be consultants

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 or resident doctors in training or other
 health care providers.

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These individuals assist the primary
 doctor

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 in the care of patients.

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However, it is the primary doctor that is
 always responsible for your care here at Duke.

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In addition to your nurses and

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 primary doctor, your treatment team will
 include

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 a variety of specialized caregivers from

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 dietary and environmental services staff

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 to blood drawers and physical therapists.

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Each test or therapy they administer is

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 based on the latest medical research
 developed

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 and tested in the laboratories at Duke.

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This research enables Duke to

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 offer the most effective treatments and
 cures available in the country.

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But even the best medical care cannot
 cure the

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 emotional trauma you experience with an
 illness.

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A team of social workers, chaplains,

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 and volunteers is available to provide
 comfort,

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 reassurance, and assistance with family

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 and personal issues.

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The emotional and psychological

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 components of any chronic

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 disease brings special needs.

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And one of these special needs

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 is that they need people

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 to depend on, to be there, to listen.

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And I think one of the things

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 that we do best, as volunteers

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 in this program, is to really,

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 really listen.

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When I work here as a volunteer visiting
 patients

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 in the hospital, frequently,

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 they'll ask me, "What's it going to be
 like when

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 I get out of here?" And

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 I have a kind of a [?], maybe even
 flippant answer for that.

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If you follow the advice they give you
 here

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 life is going to be exactly what you
 want it to be.

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You can go home and sit in the corner and
 decide

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 you're sick and you're gonna be sick,

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 or you can go home and just appreciate
 what

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 you've got and go out and live your life
 like I do,

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and you're probably going to feel better
 than you ever felt in your life.

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 Coming into the hospital as a patient

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you don't have to give up who you are.

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It's your body

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and you should be part of the whole
 process that's about to take place.

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Ask questions.

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Speak up.

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Tell what's bothering you.

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Make sure you understand when someone

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 explains something to you.

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If you don't ask them to explain it
 again,

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 be part of the entire healing process

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 and treatment process and it will help

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 in the long run in terms of your,

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of the outcome of your
 your hospital visit.

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Everybody pulls for everybody else.

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I know when I lost my husband,

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 I think the people in there were about as devastated as I was

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because I'd been there long.

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But my point in the whole thing is

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 this is a magnificent

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 hospital and people

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 come here with that knowledge.

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So why not take advantage of all the information [?]?

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 For non-medical aspects of your
 stay.

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A patient guide in each room provides
 detailed

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 information on lodging for relatives,
 parking,

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 banking, dining, and much more.

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 Patient representatives at the
 information desks

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 of Duke North or Duke South can assist

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 visitors with patient room numbers,
 directions,

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 or other questions about the hospital.

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Whatever you can't find in the guide or
 at the

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 information desk is just a phone call
 away

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 through patient and visitor relations,
 or

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 through your health unit coordinator who
 sits at the entrance

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 to your unit. To resolve both routine

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 questions and serious concerns,

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contact your primary nurse or patient

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 and visitor relations, who will consult
 with

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 hospital administrators if necessary.

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I think one of the most important things
 for patients to know and

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 remember is that nurses are here to help
 them.

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We are their first line of defense.

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We're the ones that they can ask their
 questions to, share

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 their concerns, and we'll do whatever we
 can

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 to have those needs and concerns
 addressed.

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And that same concern extends to family
 members.

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The staff here realizes

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 that the family is, in a sense,

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 just as important as the patient.

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Matter of fact quite often the family

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 is more concerned than the patient might
 be.

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The patient is in the bed.

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He or she knows what's happened and
 what's

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 going to happen, perhaps even sedated or
 something like that.

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The poor family though is left to wander
 around in this

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immense structure, not knowing what's

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 going on and probably very, very
 concerned for their

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 loved one who is here as the patient.

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So I think it's just an especially
 favorable

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 aspect of the staff, the hospital

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 itself, that they they have that family
 concern

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 and they are willing to talk and help

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 the family through what might otherwise
 be

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 an even more difficult experience for
 them.

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There are times, however, when it is hard
 to

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 anticipate a patients or relatives needs.

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 Telling your caregivers how you feel can
 help

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 them assess your recovery, both
 physically and emotionally,

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 and tailor

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 medical therapies to fit your individual
 needs.

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After a detailed admission

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 interview with factual information that
 the nurse asked

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 when I was admitted in my room,

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she asked me one more question,

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and it was, "Is there anything special you would like?"

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And it threw me for a second,

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but I recovered quickly and I said, "Yes.

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When people when staff people come into
 my room, I'd

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 like them to smile."

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And I was pleased to have thought of that
 and pleased with the results.

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Such concern for patient's well-being
 extends

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 to the home environment, where patients
 often receive

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 follow up care or rehabilitation.

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When patients are here for prolonged
 hospitalization,

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 we will contact the referring doctor

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 on a regular basis, either on a daily or
 every other day

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 basis, just to give them an update on
 their patient's care.

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From start to finish, the care you
 receive

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 at Duke Hospital is driven by two
 missions:

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 to treat your illness with the most
 advanced medical

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 and surgical treatments available, and to
 do

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 it with compassion and sensitivity.

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Input from our patients, relatives, and

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 visitors can help us fulfill these
 missions.

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I suppose there are many compliments

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 I could pay to Duke University Medical
 Center

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 and to its staff for their care,

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 their concern, their comfort,

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but maybe the simplest and most
 straightforward comment

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 of all I can make is that I'm alive
 today because of what they've done for
 me here

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and I'm deeply appreciative of that.

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Duke Hospital North houses the inpatient
 units,

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 the operating rooms, dining facilities,

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 bank teller machines, and the Pink Smock
 gift shop.

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On the basement level of Duke Hospital North,

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you can board the personal rapid transit
 to the parking

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 deck on Erwin Road or to Duke Hospital
 South.

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Duke Hospital South, known for its Gothic

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 architecture, is a group of nine
 interconnected buildings.

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Each building, or clinic, has its own color
 zone

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 to help you find your way. Inside the

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 buildings of Duke Hospital South, you will find the outpatient clinics,

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 the bank, the post office,

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 the pharmacy, another cafeteria,

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 and hospital administration.

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Parking is available in the deck across
 from Duke

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 Hospital North on Erwin Road or

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 the deck across from Duke Hospital
 South off of Trent Drive.

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Discount parking books for inpatients
 and their families

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 can be purchased in the Pink Smock gift shops

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in Duke North or Duke South.

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Special parking is available

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 for campers and other large vehicles.

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In addition to using the personal rapid
 transit,

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 patients and visitors can take the
 underground

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 walkway from the Erwin Road parking deck
 to

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 Duke Hospital North.

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Lodging for visitors is available through
 local

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 hotels and motels or through host homes.

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A service that places relatives of Duke
 patients

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 with families in Durham. The host homes

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 information desk is located in the lobby
 of Duke

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 Hospital South.

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684-3211 or 684-5351.

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If you need assistance, the call button
 is

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 located on the inner panel of your bed.

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 To operate the bed,

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press the up or down buttons on the same

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 control panel. In most rooms

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the telephone is located on the right
 inner panel

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 of your bed and your telephone number is
 written on the receiver.

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Hospital calls and local calls within
 Durham

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 can be dialed directly.

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All long distance calls must be made
 collect

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 or charged to your home phone or credit
 card.

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 When receiving phone calls in your room,

[00:11:01.640] 
you will first hear a recording that
 tells the caller

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 he or she cannot make collect calls to
 you.

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Wait for the recording to end before you
 try to speak to the caller.

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A weekly television guide in each room
 provides

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 programming information about the twelve
 available

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 channels, including the patient channel.

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You can order your meals and snacks by
 filling out

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 the menu that arrives on your meal tray
 the previous day.

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 For meal times

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ask your care nurse.

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Visitors, and patients not on special
 diets,

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 are welcome to eat in the Duke North
 cafeteria

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 as well as the commons restaurant,
 located

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 in the [?] Center,

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just a few minutes walk from Duke North.

[00:11:43.320] 
The Duke North cafeteria is open for
 lunch

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 from 11:00 A.M.

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to 3:00 P.M. 

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and for dinner from 4:30 P.M.

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to 7:00 P.M.

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The North Deli is open from 9:45 A.M.

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to 4:30 P.M.

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and at night from 8:30 P.M.

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to 3:00 A.M.

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Smoking is not allowed inside any medical

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 center building.

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Check with an information desk representative
 to find the

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 designated outdoor smoking area closest
 to you.

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Visitation hours vary in each patient
 unit.

[00:12:15.600] 
Please consult with a nurse or the health
 unit coordinator

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 to find out the visitation hours in your
 unit.

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As you prepare to return home, your
 medical

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 team will help you identify community
 and medical

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 resources, you'll need to continue your
 treatment or recovery.

[00:12:35.440] 
Please feel free to ask them for
 assistance if

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 you have questions or concerns about
 follow up care.

[00:12:41.680] 
 To obtain additional information on
 these and other topics

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please refer to the patient guide in your
 room

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 or call 681-2020

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to speak with a patient
 representative.