
30 Things We Only See In Hospital
Glowing Exit Signs
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Antiseptic Smell
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IV Poles on Wheels
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Elevator Chatter
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Patient Gowns
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Disposable Bed Linens
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Hand Sanitizer Dispensers
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Medical Charts
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Overhead Paging
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Gurneys in the Hallway
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Digital Thermometers
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Syringe Bins
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EKG Monitors
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Waiting Room Magazines
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Hospital Cafeteria
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Telemetry Units
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Sanitization Stations
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Nurse Call Buttons
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Medical Waste Bins
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Privacy Curtains
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X-ray Light Boxes
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Wheelchairs Everywhere
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Doctors' White Coats
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Nurses' Scrubs
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Crinkling Disposable Gloves
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MRI Machines
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Hospital Wristbands
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Handwashing Posters
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Occupied Signs on Restrooms
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Life-Saving Heroes
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Secrets about hospitals you need to know: teaching hospitals can actually be better
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A lot of people can think teaching hospitals are the 'lesser' to go to because you feel like you want more qualified doctors than people still learning who might make mistakes. The truth is, for a lot of complicated treatment, teaching hospitals are better because there are residents on hand to avoid errors, more questions asked and more things done to prevent errors.Advertisement
Don't take sanitization for granted
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When you're in a hospital, you'd like to think that it's already as sanitary as it could possibly be - yet despite hospital's best practices to stay very clean indeed, germs can still be transferred easily, and you'll want to do your own part with sanitization, like taking alcohol wipes to use on your bed rails, door knobs, elevator buttons... everything!Advertisement
You can (and should) ask to be involved in shift change
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Shift changes mean that nurses are swapping notes in order for one to take over from the other and know what's happened so far. You can actually asked to have that conversation happen by your bed, so that you can make sure all information shared is accurate and add your own if needed - it makes for better communication!Advertisement
It's better if you don't chit chat (even if you're just being nice)
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If you have a doctor or a nurse working by your bedside and you don't have an illness or injury that's making it hard to think or talk, you might naturally want to chit chat, ask about your condition or just make small talk. It's polite and you mean well, but at the end of the day it's a distraction for them, especially if they're preparing medications!Advertisement
Nurses are more overwhelmed than you already think
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It's no secret that nurses in hospitals are VERY overworked and underpaid, but it might be worse than you thought. Nurses are often given more patients than they can easily handle, which means they can't give as much dedicated time and focus to individual patients as they should.Advertisement
Surprisingly, admin staff can make the most
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Hospital administrators actually make a huge amount of money, and it's actually around a quarter of the money hospitals make that goes towards paying administrators for what they do. Top earners like CEOs of hospitals can make on average around $400,000 to $500,000 a year.Advertisement
Being pushed into over-treating is actually a thing
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Hospital bosses often 'encourage' their doctors and surgeons to take on more and more patients for treatment, or do more operations. This is because a lot of hospitals get bonuses for the higher amount of patients treated. This means a lot of doctors feel pressured/obliged to treat more patients.Advertisement
Be careful about out-of-network billing
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If you're having treatment where a lot of different people are involved - and even though you personally chose your in-house doctor - there's still a chance you could get billed for a lot of outside the network people, like assistant surgeons or anesthesiologists. You'll then get billed a higher rate for anyone outside of the hospital's network!Advertisement
Being admitted versus under observation
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Just because you're spending time in the hospital doesn't mean you've been officially 'admitted', and this can affect how things are paid for or covered by insurance for some people. You need to be officially admitted to get things like Medicare to cover additional treatment, so always ask if you're being admitted.Advertisement
You should always ask whether visits from consults are necessary
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If your doctor says that they're calling in a consult for an extra opinion, make sure to question this and whether any extra visits are necessary - because you're going to be paying for it, and it's going to mount up if those specialists are turning up every single day to your bedside!Advertisement
And you should definitely ask what would get you discharged quicker
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It's always good to know how you can get out of the hospital faster so you don't rack up anymore bills, and the doctors will be going off certain criteria to know when to release you, such as 'when you can stand up and walk by yourself'. It helps if you know that, so you can get trying to accomplish it quicker!Advertisement
It's worth checking that hospital bill
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We know it's mundane and picky work, but it's worth going through that bill line by line. There might be a single error, like a charge for a medication you definitely didn't take, but it's still something you shouldn't be paying for. Errors like that might be down to you to find!Advertisement
Question every test
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If your doctor tells you they're ordering a test, it's absolutely fine to ask them why - in fact, you should! Ask what the test is for, and what would be different if you had it/didn't have. That's because a lot of tests aren't needed and won't change the outcome, so you don't want to pay for it.Advertisement
Most hospitals are going for aesthetic appeal
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A lot of medical facilities these days are swanky private clinics or private centers, and mainstream hospitals have to find a way to still attract patients - which is where the aesthetics come in. So if you're wondering why the waiting room of your hospital is filled with water features, a random piano and a questionable color scheme, that's why.Advertisement
The ER really has seen it all
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Don't be embarrassed about anything where the ER is concerned, because they really have seen it all - both things nobody can help, and things people consciously do. Nurses and doctors in the ER have seen a lot of nudity, a lot of questionable items in questionable places, and even been hit on!Advertisement
Just like anywhere else, VIPs get special treatment
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Hospitals will have VIP patients, and if they're in there at the same time as you, they're going to get the preferential treatment! VIP patient requests are priority, which means doctors and nurses are expect to respond to their every whim first - before other patients.Advertisement
Surgeons actually multi-task and do more than one surgery at once...
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If you've been thinking your own personal surgeon stays with you from start to finish for your procedure, think again. Some surgeons might actually be doing somebody else's surgery at the same time, which is why they might not be present for 100% of your own procedure.Advertisement
The doctors hate electronic records
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Paperwork in any form is annoying, but electronic records are particularly annoying for doctors and nurses. It can be a tedious process for ticking electronic boxes, and a lot of doctors resent is as they feel tickable answers don't give a full overview of the situation for other doctors to see.Advertisement
It's turning more into 'customer service'
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Just like with that hotel reception aesthetic vibe we spoke about, a lot of hospitals have had to move into the more 'customer service' frame of mind, because of health insurers putting more focus on patient satisfaction surveys. This makes it difficult because often what's best for the patient isn't the thing they'll be most happy about.Advertisement
You should bring your own notebook and log EVERYTHING
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We know this isn't top of your priority list if you're in for something painful and uncomfortable, but if you've been officially admitted, keeping your own notebook log can be helpful for checking your bill later. You can write down everyone who has come to see you, and what has been said.Advertisement