Preparing for your stay at Pennsylvania Hospital
Patients are asked to define their family and explain how they will be involved in patient care, care planning, and decision making. Patients should plan to keep their family informed about their care — they are advised to identify one person who can communicate with family members. Patients should share their plan with Pennsylvania Hospital staff.
Patients should identify their support people whose presence will provide emotional support, comfort and help alleviate fears. With patient permission, a support person may stay with them throughout their stay, participate in care planning and discharge, and provide support by learning new information.
Clinical rounds, patient education sessions, and discharge planning will accommodate having the support person present. If the support person plans to stay in the hospital overnight, the nursing staff will coordinate while considering the needs of other patients and families in the area. In situations where there are shared rooms, coordination may include the other patient, their family, and their support person.
Patient medication history is very important. Doctors and nurses will ask repeatedly about medications taken at home. Medications taken while in the hospital are prescribed specifically for the hospital stay. Some may be new or different compared to a patient’s medication history.
A hospital pharmacist reviews all medications and dispenses them. The nurse explains them and gives them to patients. Always ask about the medications you are given before taking them.
Do not bring medications from home unless you are instructed to do so by your provider. Patients should never take medication from home without discussing it with the doctor or nurse first. If the doctor wants a patient to take their medication from home, a pharmacist will make sure it does not interfere with the other medications they are taking.
Please bring only the necessary items listed below. It is important that any items you bring with you are labeled with your name and date of birth before bringing them into the hospital.
At times, the staff may need to do an inventory of your belongings in order to document what you have with you. We encourage you to leave all items not in the list below at home, including cash and jewelry. Pennsylvania Hospital is not responsible for any lost or stolen items.
Important items to bring:
- Photo identification
- Health insurance information
- Copy of any advance directive, durable power of attorney and living will documents
- List of medications with doses and frequency
- List of doctors and relatives with phone numbers and email addresses
- Robe, slippers and toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.)
- Eyeglasses, hearing aids and/or dentures, as well as cases labeled with full name
- Cane and/or walker (labeled with full name)
- Medical equipment, if absolutely necessary (labeled with full name)
The hospital maintains a safe and secure environment, but we strongly recommend that you send your valuables home with a family member or friend. Please notify your nurse if you need to secure personal items with the security department. Pennsylvania Hospital is not responsible for personal belongings or valuables that are not secured with the security department.
Lost and found items are accepted and stored in the Security Operations Center. Reasonable effort is made to contact owners of lost property and return identifiable items. Employees, patients, and visitors can call Pennsylvania Hospital Security at 215-829-3434 Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5 pm. At other times, call 215-829-3000 and ask the hospital telephone operator to contact the Security Supervisor on duty. For more information, call 215-829-5737.
Please inform your nurse if any aspect of your room is uncomfortable. Maintenance will be notified and make every effort to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
Security personnel create a safe environment for patients, visitors and employees. You will see security personnel in uniform throughout the hospital. If you need security assistance, contact your head nurse.
All hospital staff and volunteers must wear an identification badge with their photograph, name and department printed on it. Please ask to see a badge if you do not see one on a person involved with your care.
Penn Medicine Security provides walking escorts to patients, visitors, and employees who request an escort to parking garages, lots and streets within a two-block radius of the hospital. Beyond the two-block area, a "Walk ’N Watch" service is provided: the escort will walk visitors to the boundary and observe as they continue to their destination. Escorts are always available — timing depends on security officer availability. Call 215-829-8552 to request a walking escort.
Your care team will provide instructions about post-hospital care including your diet, activities or other matters. Your entire care team will work with you to support your transition out of the hospital.
Planning for discharge begins when patients are admitted to the hospital. Throughout the hospital stay, the staff will work with patients, their support person, and their family to assess patient needs and identify resources to meet these needs.
Patients may meet with a social worker or clinical resource coordinator who will discuss options for discharge, recommend a plan and coordinate the arrangements. Social workers and clinical resource coordinators are part of the interdisciplinary care team. Social workers can link patients to community resources, such as skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities, that meet health-related needs or concerns. They can help patients and families cope with illness or injury during their stay and provide referrals to agencies at discharge. Clinical resource coordinators work with patients and families to arrange home care such as home nursing care and home medical equipment.