{"id":4381,"date":"2019-02-27T14:53:10","date_gmt":"2019-02-27T20:53:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nafwb.org\/?p=4381"},"modified":"2019-02-27T14:53:10","modified_gmt":"2019-02-27T20:53:10","slug":"hospital-visitation-etiquette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/hospital-visitation-etiquette\/","title":{"rendered":"Hospital Visitation Etiquette"},"content":{"rendered":"

By R. F. Smith, Jr.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Visiting friends in the hospital\u00a0is a serious matter, because\u00a0we can either help or hurt, depending on our sensitivity to their needs.<\/p>\n

The purpose of a hospital visit is to\u00a0affirm to the patient your care, concern\u00a0and prayer support. And to remind\u00a0him, “You are not alone and\u00a0you are important.”<\/p>\n

In preparation for your visit, dress\u00a0appropriately. For instance, don’t go in\u00a0your evening dress or tux which says,\u00a0“Thought I’d stop off on my way to the\u00a0big party (which you’d be going to if\u00a0not laid up.)”<\/p>\n

Be careful about taking odors into\u00a0the room. Strong-smelling perfume, tobacco odors and the like are not only\u00a0offensive to many patients, but often\u00a0make them sicker.<\/p>\n

Be wise about what you take into\u00a0the room. Candy (which the patient\u00a0cannot eat) and big fruit baskets (that\u00a0are off-limits) may do more harm than\u00a0good to the patient.\u00a0Don’t take your own emotional\u00a0germs into the room. For instance, if\u00a0you’ve just come from a funeral or\u00a0some sad situation, make sure not to\u00a0infect the patient with the emotional\u00a0germs you are carrying. Cleanse thoroughly\u00a0by changing emotional gears.<\/p>\n

Knock on the door before entering,\u00a0even if the door is open. Don’t\u00a0ever go through a closed door. Get a\u00a0nurse to check out the situation before\u00a0entering. And don’t wake the patient.\u00a0Leave a simple note.<\/p>\n

Sit or stand in a proper place so the\u00a0patient will be comfortable looking at\u00a0you. If another person is in the room,\u00a0avoid conversation that excludes the\u00a0patient. This is not a social visit. Treat\u00a0the person as a patient, even though\u00a0she is a close friend or family member.<\/p>\n

Never ask, “How are you?” That’s the\u00a0doctor’s question. Rather, ask, “How are\u00a0things going?” This gives the patient the\u00a0privilege to go in any direction.<\/p>\n

If the patient is sad, don’t try to\u00a0cheer him up. You are not there to\u00a0“cheer ’em up.” You are there to listen.\u00a0Let the patient talk about whatever\u00a0is on his mind. Feel with the person.\u00a0Patients have intense emotions\u2014anger,\u00a0guilt, fear\u2014to mention a few.<\/p>\n

Support the person’s choice of a\u00a0physician, even if you think he\u00a0or she is a quack. Let the patient criticize\u00a0without agreeing or disagreeing\u00a0or arguing. People confined to a hospital\u00a0generate all sorts of negatives\u00a0about the hospital, especially the\u00a0food and lack of attention. Just listen\u00a0and nod understanding.<\/p>\n

Don’t over-emphasize the surgery\u00a0the patient faces, but don’t underemphasize\u00a0it either. All surgery is major for\u00a0the person facing it. And certainly don’t\u00a0remind the patient that your Uncle Joe\u00a0had that same disease and died.<\/p>\n

The length of your visit is important\u00a0and depends on several factors,\u00a0such as the patient’s body language\u2014Restless? Bored? Hurting?<\/p>\n

If the patient’s meal comes, leave.\u00a0Food is important, but food made cold\u00a0by a visitor’s over-stay is inexcusable.<\/p>\n

The number of people in a room\u00a0determines how long you stay. If the\u00a0doctor arrives, offer to leave.<\/p>\n

A 10-minute visit is usually long\u00a0enough. Five minutes may be better.<\/p>\n

As you leave, assure the patient of\u00a0your continued support. Then leave,\u00a0but don’t stand outside the door and\u00a0talk with a family member or medical\u00a0personnel. The patient hears only\u00a0mumbles, and draws all sorts of negative\u00a0conclusions.<\/p>\n

A hospital visit is not a drop-in social\u00a0event. It can be a time that makes\u00a0you part of the healing team.\u00a0 Take it seriously.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By R. F. Smith, Jr. Visiting friends in the hospital\u00a0is a serious matter, because\u00a0we can either help or hurt, depending on our sensitivity to their needs. The purpose of a hospital visit is to\u00a0affirm to the patient your care, concern\u00a0and prayer support. And to remind\u00a0him, “You are not alone and\u00a0you are important.” In preparation for your visit, dress\u00a0appropriately. For instance, don’t go in\u00a0your evening dress or tux which says,\u00a0“Thought I’d stop off on my way to the\u00a0big party (which you’d be going to if\u00a0not laid up.)” Be careful about taking odors into\u00a0the room. Strong-smelling perfume, tobacco odors and the like are not only\u00a0offensive to many patients, but often\u00a0make them sicker. Be wise about what you take into\u00a0the room. Candy (which the patient\u00a0cannot eat) and big fruit baskets (that\u00a0are off-limits) may do more harm than\u00a0good to the patient.\u00a0Don’t take your own emotional\u00a0germs into the room. For instance, if\u00a0you’ve just come from a funeral or\u00a0some sad situation, make sure not to\u00a0infect the patient with the emotional\u00a0germs you are carrying. Cleanse thoroughly\u00a0by changing emotional gears. Knock on the door before entering,\u00a0even if the door is open. Don’t\u00a0ever go through a closed door. Get a\u00a0nurse to check out the situation before\u00a0entering. And don’t wake […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pastors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4381"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4381\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4382,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4381\/revisions\/4382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}