RULES AND ETIQUETTE

Visiting Hours

Your friend/family member will be kept busy during the day with physician's visit, physical rehabilitation sessions, follow-up studies and getting some much needed rest.
While popping in for a quick visit outside of the scheduled visiting hours may seem innocent enough, you will be disrupting the care your friend/family member requires to get on the road to recovery that leads to home.
Before you go to the hospital, make sure you know the visiting hours and stick to them!

Phone calls

...there is nothing more frustrating than having to jump over all sorts of hurdles to reach your ringing phone only to have it stop ringing once you finally reach it.
This situation is even worse for your friend/family member in the hospital. They hear that phone ring and desperately try to dive to catch it before the caller hangs up.
To avoid catching your friend or family member in the middle of a procedure, try calling around scheduled visiting hours or after dinner when things have slowed down a bit. If you plan on calling the next day, schedule a time with them when you will call.

If you are calling the hospital staff for updates...
Please remember, whether they are following the law or an oath to protect the privacy of their patients, healthcare providers are very limited in the amount of information they can provide you about your friend or family member.
It might be helpful for you to know that nurses receive report about their patients at change of shift (around 7-8am, 3-4pm, 11-12 midnight if the hospital is on eight hour shifts or 7-8am and 7-8pm if the hospital is on twelve hour shifts).
If you were to call around the change of shift, you would be calling at the craziest time of the day. The nurses are trying to receive report on your friend/family member, pass medications, complete their assessments, prepare patients for surgery, the list goes on.

Fire safety laws restrict the number of chairs that are allowed in a hospital rooms
Typically, only two chairs are allowed in one room. This is not only a fire safety regulation; it is also for the protection of your friend/family member. Should an emergency occur, hospital staff must be able to easily access your loved one. Trying to dodge multiple chairs can delay the delivery of emergency care.

Avoid wearing perfume or cologne when visiting the hospital

Many people suffer from allergies which can be triggered by cologne and perfume. In addition to allergies, perfume and cologne can trigger strong waves of nausea for people recovering from anesthesia or on various medications.

When visiting your friend/family member, leave your cell phone in the car or at home

Believe it or not, you will survive without your phone (laptop, or other electronic device) for the duration of your visit with your family/friend. If something is really urgent you can use the phone in the room or down the hall.
no cell phone use

As long as your cell phone is on, it can cause electromagnetic interference. This interference can affect cardiac monitors and other life monitors within the hospital.
People tend to be very sensitive to the fact that cell phones can disrupt or interfere with the cardiac monitoring devices if their friend or family member requires careful monitoring. Unfortunately the general public tends to show less compassion and sensitivity when their loved one does not require cardiac monitoring.
Please be sensitive to the needs of others. To prevent temptation, please leave your cell phone in the car.

If your friend or family member shares a room with a roommate, be considerate of their needs and privacy.

This may seem to be an obvious part of hospital rules and etiquette, but you would be surprised at how many people use their "outdoor voice" instead of being respectful to the needs of the other patients.
If your friend/family member is fortunate enough to have a room of their own, it is still important to keep the noise level down and respect the privacy of others.

When trying to decide if you should bring a