Depending on your health history, you may need to have tests done before the day of your surgery. You may receive these tests at a diagnostic lab near you, or be assigned an appointment at our Pre-Admission Testing Center across the street from the hospital at 120 Dudley Street. You may also be reached by phone for your appointment.
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Plan to arrive 90 minutes before your scheduled operation so that we have enough time to prepare you for surgery. Please understand that our surgery schedule sometimes changes because of the unexpected needs of other patients. You may want to bring something to read while you wait.
If you are going to be admitted to the hospital after surgery, Women & Infants will provide hospital gowns for your use. You may want to bring personal toiletry items, such as:
If there are other items that are important to your cultural, religious, or spiritual beliefs, please speak with your nurse to be sure these items are appropriate to have in the hospital. Please arrange to have someone bring these items to you after surgery.
NOTE: Please leave jewelry and valuables at home. The hospital will not be responsible for lost valuables, including dentures and eyeglasses. Cell phones and personal electronics are the responsibility of the patient for the duration of their stay.
Patients are not allowed to bring most portable electric appliances – heating or cooking devices, electric fans, and coffee pots – to the hospital. Please make your nurse aware of your cultural, spiritual, or religious beliefs that require the use of otherwise prohibited electronic devices.
When you arrive at the hospital, check in with the receptionist in the main lobby and they will provide you and your support person with access badges and will direct you to the registration area.
After you register, please check in with the secretary in the Ambulatory Surgical area and make yourself comfortable in our waiting area. You will be taken to a private area to get ready for surgery. You will then be given a hospital gown, and a member of the anesthesia team will start an IV to give you fluids and medications.
Two support people may stay with you until you are brought to the operating room. Once you have changed into the hospital gown and are ready for surgery, the nurse will call that person or persons in from the waiting area. Your support people are asked to wait in the main lobby or Remondi Resource Center on level 1 during your surgery so your doctor can speak with them after your surgery.
When your family members come to the main lobby to wait during your surgery, they are asked to check in with the hospital’s family liaison so they can receive updates, ask any questions they might have, and so your doctor can locate your family after your surgery.
We care about your experience here at Women & Infants Hospital. Our director of patient and family centered care is here to assist you and your family if you have any questions, concerns, complaints, or if you would like to tell us about someone who made your experience special. Let us know if we are not meeting your expectations, and we will work hard to remedy the situation. You can reach the Patient Feedback Line at (401) 274-1122, ext. 44287 (English) or ext. 44289 (Spanish).
You will be brought to the recovery room after surgery. A recovery room nurse will care for and monitor you. The nurses will keep you as comfortable as possible.
Before you leave, your nurse will go over post-operative instructions with you and your family. If you have any questions at home, please call your doctor’s office. All patients are discharged by wheelchair through the main lobby. The person who drives you home may pick you up there. That person should check at the reception desk if you are not waiting in the main lobby.
You will stay in the recovery room until you are ready to go to your room. Staff will make sure your belongings are taken to your room, or your family can bring them home. Please notify your nurse if you have any dietary restrictions or other concerns regarding your cultural, religious or spiritual beliefs.
Your family and friends can visit you once you are in your room. They can get your room number at the reception desk in the main lobby or from the family liaison. We encourage visits from family and friends of your choosing, but our primary concern is that you get the care and rest you need to recover. Visitors may come between the hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. We encourage you to only have visitors who can help you to relax and rest.
To help keep our patients healthy, please ask your visitors to stay home if they have any symptoms of a cold or diarrhea, or have recently been exposed to chicken pox, measles, mumps, rubella, or the flu.
Ask your visitors to wash their hands—with soap and water and use alcohol-based hand gel—before touching you.
If a family member or friend wants to spend the night, the chair in your room reclines. Nurses can provide blankets and pillows, but not toiletries. Your nurse can direct your family member or friend to designated showers and toilets; the showers in the rooms are for patient use only.
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Download the Spanish PDF
Enhanced recovery is a set of instructions that you and your care team will follow to help improve your experience before, during, and after surgery. It helps you to recover sooner so life can return to normal as quickly as possible.
ERAS is proven to speed up recovery and lower the chance of problems after surgery.
It is important that you know what to expect before, during, and after your surgery. Your care team will work closely with you to plan your treatment. In addition, read these instructions carefully and follow them closely. Be sure to ask questions if you have any. It is important for you to participate in your recovery and to follow the advice of your care team. By working together, we hope to make your recovery as easy as possible.
On the next page you will find instructions for how to make ERAS a successful part of your care. Remember, your doctor will provide other instructions that are specific to your surgery. If you have questions about what to do, be sure to ask.
Food and Drink: ERAS has changed the rules about eating and drinking before surgery!
Pain Medications: Pain control is a big part of a healthy recovery!
Nausea Medications: Controlling nausea will help you feel better sooner!
Activity After Surgery: This is where we need your help!
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