When You Arrive
Please register at the Admissions office (Inpatient Registration), which is in the hallway to your immediate left as you enter the main lobby. When the admission process is complete, you will receive an identification wristband and will be escorted to your room.

While every effort will be made to assign you to accommodations of your preference, alternate arrangements may be needed due to physician’s orders, a temporary shortage of beds, or other reasons. All attempts will be made to keep inconveniences to you at a minimum.

On Your Nursing Unit
When you arrive in your room, a nurse will check your vital signs, review your medical history and current health problems, and perform a nursing assessment including checking your senses, listening to your heart, lungs and abdomen, and checking your skin. The nurse will also review your sleeping patterns, bowel habits, smoking history, and medications. Our staff will also help you and your family prepare for home care after discharge, if necessary.

Warren Hospital’s Nursing Department is dedicated to your comfort and well-being. At the same time, we are preparing you to return to an independent life as soon as possible. You or your family members may be asked to assist with your daily personal care and feeding to prepare for your return home.

Meals
You will receive a daily visit by a member of our Food and Nutrition Services staff, who will describe your meal choices for the day. Your choices will be based on the diet your physician prescribes. Staff dietitians from the Food and Nutrition Services Department make regular patient visits and are available to talk with you about your special diet. Let your nurse or food service host/hostess know if you would like to meet with a dietitian.

Visiting Hours
Visitors play an important role in maintaining your well-being. You may have two visitors at a time. Family or friends age 12 or older are welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult. We ask that visits be limited to a half hour. General visiting hours are from 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m. Visiting hours for pediatric patients are 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Parents may visit at any time.

ICU/CCU
11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Only members of the immediate family may visit. We suggest limiting your visits to 15 minutes. Children under 12 are not permitted in the ICU/CCU area.

OBSTETRICS/GYNECOLOGY
2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
The baby’s father, or a significant other designated by the mother, has unrestricted visiting hours. Children under 12 are not permitted unless they are siblings of the new baby.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
Monday through Friday 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Weekends and holidays 12:30 – 2:00 p.m.
and 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Children under 18 are not permitted in the Behavioral Health unit.

Smoking
To promote good health, and in compliance with the law, smoking is prohibited throughout the hospital.

However, if your physician has given written permission for you to smoke, and a copy is included in your chart, you may smoke in designated gazebos on the hospital grounds. No one is permitted to smoke at the hospital entrances or in the courtyard area.

If you wish to smoke, you must let your nurse know. You must be accompanied by a staff member, if one is available, or a family member or friend.

The staff member, family member or friend must remain with you while you smoke, and then escort you back to your room. If a friend or family member accompanied you, you must let your nurse know when you have returned to your unit.

For information on quitting smoking, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services offers Quitnet, a free online service, at www.nj.quitnet.com. You may also call New Jersey Quitnet toll-free at (866) 657-8677.

The Speak Up Program
Making health care safe is everyone’s business. You can play a vital role in helping your hospital stay safe by becoming an active, involved and informed member of your health care team.

Warren Hospital is one of many that have joined the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Heathcare Organizations’ Speak Up program. The program urges patients and their families to get involved in their care.

Speak Up provides simple advice on how you can make your care a positive experience. Research shows that patients who take part in decisions about their health care are more likely to have better outcomes.

• Speak up with questions or concerns. Tell the doctor or nurse if you think you’re being asked to take the wrong medication, if you don’t understand something, if you’re afraid for your safety, or if you think staff may have confused you with another patient.
  
  
• Pay attention to the care you are receiving. Don’t assume anything. Tell the nurse or doctor if you think something is not right. Expect all personnel to introduce themselves. Watch to see if your caregiver washes his or her hands. Be aware of the time that your medications are due. If you are having surgery, make sure your caregiver, nurse and physician verify the correct site with you on the day of the operation.
  
  
• Educate yourself about your diagnosis. Write down important facts. Gather information about your illness. Read all medical forms carefully and understand them fully before you sign.
  
  
• Ask a family member or friend to be your advocate. Your advocate should ask questions that you may not have thought of. Your advocate should speak for you if you are unable.
  
  
• Know what medications you take and why. Medication errors are the most common health care mistakes. Ask about the medication’s purpose and side effects. If you do not recognize a medication, verify that it is for you. Ask your nurse to check your wrist band before giving you medication. Whenever you receive a new medication, tell your doctors and nurses about any of your medication allergies. If you are taking multiple medications, vitamins or supplements, ask if it is safe to take those medications together.
  
  
• Participate in all decisions about your care. You are the center of the health care team. Know who will be taking care of you, how long the treatment will last, and how you should feel. Keep notes about past medical problems and hospitalizations to share with your health care team. Don’t be afraid to ask for a second opinion.
  
  

If you have any specific questions or concerns about these issues, discuss them first with your physicians and nurses.

If, after that, you feel you need further assistance, or would like to share suggestions on ways we might improve our services, please contact Warren Hospital’s Director of Quality Management at (908) 859-6749.

Patient Safety
Patient safety is a priority at Warren Hospital. Our Falls Prevention Program helps to ensure that the risk of falls and accidents is as low as possible. If you have been identified as being at risk of falling, you will have a purple wrist band and a purple sign on the door of your room. The risk for falling may be high if you are disoriented or confused, dizzy, weak, or unsteady when standing. If your doctor or nurse restricts you to bed or makes other requests as safety precautions, please comply.

If you are at risk for injury, the staff may decide to use extra safety precautions, such as a special alarm attached to a chair or bed to remind you to get up only with help.

There are times when a restraint is needed to ensure a patient’s safety. An order from a physician is required before a restraint can be used. It is Warren Hospital’s policy to use the least restrictive type of restraint required. Nurses regularly check patients in restraints to make sure they are comfortable. The physician’s order to continue restraints is reviewed at least once a day by the doctor and the nurse. Either limb restraints or elbow immobilizers, which prevent patients from pulling out medical tubes or devices, or vest restraints, which prevent patients from climbing out of bed, may be used. Restraints are loosened regularly and are removed as soon as it is safe to do so. Our goal is to preserve patient dignity while providing a safe environment.

Click here to view a short video on patient safety.

Your Test Results
Your physician will automatically receive a copy of your test results. If you or your guardian also want to receive copies of your test results, Warren Hospital can provide this service to you in accordance with state and federal regulations. These regulations require that we:

• Obtain a proper written consent from you or your guardian along with photo identification.
  
  
• Charge a fee. All New Jersey hospitals, including Warren Hospital, charge $10 plus one dollar per page for copies of test results. Contact the correspondence secretary of the Health Information Management office at (908) 859-6776 for more information.
  
  
• Provide for financial need. If the fee represents a financial hardship for you, our Patient Financial Services Department can help you document financial need. Call the office at (908) 859-6844.
  
  

Interpreter Services
Your doctor and other health care providers at Warren Hospital want to provide clear communication with you during your stay. The following services are available; these same interpreters and services will be provided to the patient’s decision-maker if needed.

• For non-English speaking persons, telephone interpreter services or interpretation by a hospital employee who speaks a second language, if available.
  
  
• For blind or visually impaired patients, hospital signs in Braille, and staff available to read documents that require a patient’s signature.
  
  
• For deaf or hard or hearing patients, qualified interpreter at no expense to the patient during pre-scheduled visits and at all other times within a reasonable period of time after a request is made. (You will be asked to sign a form documenting your needs.) Also, telecommunication devices, television captioning, amplified or assistive listening devices.
  
  

Compliance Hotline
Warren Hospital is committed to complying with all state and federal laws and regulations. If you feel there is an issue that needs to be addressed, please call our compliance officer at (908) 859-6808. Or you may call our toll-free hot line at (877) 631-5718 if you wish to remain anonymous.