Self Regional Healthcare welcomes you.
The staff of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) are here to provide excellent care for your or your loved one, during a time that can be stressful for patients and their family.
We are glad you have chosen Self Regional Healthcare. Customer satisfaction is a top priority. If you have any concerns or special needs, please ask to speak with the charge nurse or the CICU director.
This information was developed by our nurses for patients and their families because we consider you valued members of our healthcare team. Here, you will find guidelines and information for the CICU. These guidelines were developed with the patient’s interests in mind.
Family Members’ Needs
When someone is hospitalized, patients’ family members sometimes postpone their own needs and may even be afraid to leave the hospital. However, during this critical time we want to ensure that family members take care of themselves and that they make sure they eat and sleep properly. Allow Self Regional’s dedicated staff to take care of your loved one while you rest in the evenings. You will need your strength to effectively cope with the events of this hospitalization.
Information about hospital dining options is available on the back of this brochure.
If you are an out-of-town visitor, the following hotels offer discounted rates to people who have family members hospitalized at Self Regional Healthcare:
Days Inn: 223-1818
Inn on the Square: 330-1010
What Can You Do to Help?
Appoint one family member as a spokesperson between the CICU staff and family members. You may be asked to provide us with a password so that we can protect your family member’s privacy. This helps us maintain patient confidentiality and gives our healthcare team more time with the patient. Consider leaving frequently updated messages on your home answering machine for friends and family to check.
You also can keep family and friends up to date on the patient’s condition by using CarePages, a free service offered through Self Regional. You can access the site at www.carepages.com/selfregional.
Monitors and Equipment
Each bed is equipped with sophisticated monitors to help us watch patients and make decisions about their care. Most of the equipment have alarms that alert us of changes. They do not always mean that something is wrong.
First Visit After Surgery
We know that the waiting period can seem endless when a loved one is admitted to the unit and that you may have many questions. While our initial focus will be on stabilizing your family member and meeting his or her needs, we will attend to you and your family as soon as possible.
After the physician briefs you, please expect an hour wait before seeing your family member.
When it is time to visit, immediate family members of the patient will be allowed in the room to ask questions and see the patient.
Your initial visit will be brief. Please use the outer hallway of our unit to access the room. Push the intercom button by the room and someone will let you in, provided the patient is ready for visitors. For our patients’ protection, all visitors are asked to wash their hands each time they enter and exit the room.
Advice for your visit:
• Make eye contact with your loved one.
• Share good wishes and encouragement.
• Be calm and supportive.
CICU Guidelines
• The unit is closed to visitors from 6:30 a.m.–8:00 a.m. and from 6:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m. to allow the oncoming shift to get reports and assess the patient. Please do not call during these hours, unless it is an emergency. Our nurses will be better prepared to answer questions regarding your loved one’s condition after this time.
• After the initial visit, there will be no more than two visitors permitted in the patient’s room at one time. Rest is essential for the patient’s recovery.
• Patients’ conditions can change rapidly in the CICU. You may be asked to leave quickly so we can focus on the patient.
• Nurses must have flexibility to lengthen or shorten visits so the patient receives optimal care and rest.
• Visitors must be at least 10 years old.
• People with cold or flu symptoms should not visit.
• Do not bring live flowers or plants since they carry pollens and bacteria that can contribute to illness. You may bring artificial flowers or non-latex balloons.
• Cellular phone use is not permitted in critical care areas. Usage can interfere with patient monitoring equipment and life-support systems.
• Telephones are available in the waiting area, hospital lobby, and in patient rooms. When calling from outside the hospital, you must dial the nurses desk at (864) 725-7022 to be transferred to the room.
• We ask that you keep only necessities in the patient’s room. Take home any valuables brought to the hospital.
• Please check with the nurse before giving your family member food or drink, including water or ice.