The Acute Admissions Unit (AAU) treats patients urgently admitted to the hospital. The AAU is located in units V3.2 and V3.3. You will spend a maximum of 48 hours in the AAU. If you need to remain in the hospital for a longer period of time, you will be transferred to the nursing department of the specialist who admitted you. This leaflet explains how things work in the AAU and provides practical information. The video is only available in Dutch.
Reason for admission
Two reasons for admission to the AAU are the establishment of a diagnosis and the formulation of a treatment plan. Patients who need to be diagnosed must undergo examinations.These are performed in the AAU as much as possible. Once the diagnosis has been established, the doctor will determine the initial course of treatment and/or care needed. The doctor will discuss this with you during the rounds. Other reasons for admission to the AAU include a brief observation or preparation for surgery.
Doctors’ visit
The doctors will visit you in the morning between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. We recommend you to write down any questions you would like to ask the doctor. The nurse will help you with this if needed. During the doctor’s visit you can ask these questions. The doctor will inform how you are feeling, and will ask the nurse for your medical conditions like blood pressure and temperature. This way you will be informed as thoroughly as possible on the diagnoses, any examinations required and the proposed treatment.
If you would like to schedule a personal meeting with the doctor, and your family for example, you can arrange this through the nurse. This meeting will then be scheduled in consultation with you.
Because Isala is a teaching hospital, residents are also involved in the examinations and/or treatment in the unit. Residents are qualified doctors who may be in training to become specialists. They will perform some of the examinations and treatment, under the responsibility of and in close consultation with the specialist.
Your stay
The AAU is a dynamic unit, and people are admitted to and discharged from this unit 24 hours a day. You will notice that the turnover of patients in the unit is high, which can sometimes cause inconvenience. If you experience any inconvenience from this, tell your nurse so that he/she can look into possible solutions. As well as being your healthcare provider, your nurse is your first point of contact for your questions. For information on your condition, treatment or examinations/tests, you can also request informational material from the Isala website. We could hand this to you on paper.
Admission interview
When you are admitted to the hospital, the nurse will conduct an admission interview with you. This concerns matters such as:
- your contact person;
- digital questionnaire on your state of health;
- your allergies;
- your medication;
- your prior medical history;
- any other care you may require after being discharged from the hospital, such as home care or domestic help.
Medication
During the admission interview the nurse will ask you if you brought any medication with you. If so, the nurse would like to take the medication for the first 24 hours, your family can take the rest of the medication home. We ask you to take medication like eye drops, inhalers and food supplements with you and use this as normal. If you have any allergies for medication please let the nurse or doctor know as soon as possible.
Identification
You will be asked for your name and date of birth regularly during your admission to the AAU. We do this for several reasons, including preventing any mix-ups of patients and to check that you are receiving the right medication. If you are admitted, you will therefore be required to wear a wristband with your details. If you do not have a wristband, let the nurse know as soon as possible.
Meals
Breakfast is served from 7:30 a.m. Lunch, consisting of your choice of a sandwich or a hot meal, is served from 12 p.m. Dinner, also consisting of your choice of a sandwich or a hot meal, is served from 5 p.m. Please inform the nurse if you are following a special diet.
Visiting hours
Patients are admitted to the unit at various hours throughout the day. Because all admissions to the AAU are unscheduled, we have longer visiting hours. When you are admitted, two of your family members may accompany you to the unit. After that, visiting hours are from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Only two visitors at the time. Visits outside of these hours are possible only in consultation with your nurse. No more than two people may visit you at any one time. The reason for this is to prevent things from getting too busy for you and anyone sharing the room with you. If you are transferred to a nursing department, other visiting hours will apply.
Personal property
Unfortunately, it is possible for personal property to be lost or stolen in the hospital. Therefore we advise you not to bring any valuables or jewelry with you. If you do have such items with you, have your visitors take them home with them if possible. A safe is available for you to use in the room. Isala is not liable for any loss or theft of your property.
Smoking
Isala is a smoking free hospital. Smoking or the use of electronic cigarettes is not permitted in or around (outside) the hospital.
Besides this it is not allowed to take the infuse system outside.
Call system
A call bell is located beside your bed. You can press the round red button if you need the nurse. Beside the red button there is a yellow button to operate the light above your bed.
Bedside telephone
Isala has chosen to no longer offer bedside telephones, because the vast majority of patients have their own mobile phones with them. If you don’t have your own mobile phone, the nurse will lend you a phone from the unit to call your family/friends.
We ask you to put your phone on silent after 10 p.m. and not make any phone calls in the room.
Television and radio
If you are admitted to the hospital, you can watch television and listen to the radio from your bed free of charge. The remote control can be found in the rack beside your bed. You will also receive headphones. You can ask the nurse for more information.
Wifi is free.
Nursing file
Your healthcare providers work with a digital file. You may view your file with the nurse in consultation.
Coffee corner
There is a coffee corner outside the unit, on the left just beyond the swinging doors, where coffee and tea are available free of charge for you and your guests. If you have been instructed to fast before treatment or an examination, you may not drink any coffee or tea.
Volunteers
Each weekday, a volunteer is available in the morning or afternoon to chat with patients wishing to do so. If you wish to talk to the volunteer, feel free to inform the nurse so that he/she can let the volunteer know.
Contacts
When you arrive in the unit, we will write down the details of two of your family members or friends to serve as contacts. This way the unit can always call someone if necessary. Conversely, your contacts can also call our unit for information. This is possible daily before 7 a.m. and after 10.30 a.m. by calling 088 624 13 25. We will only provide information to those you have designated as contacts this is because of privacy reasons.
Discharge
Your stay in the AAU will be a maximum of 48 hours. During this period, the doctor will discuss various options with you:
- You can go home. In most cases, an appointment for a checkup in the outpatient clinic will have to be scheduled. If it is necessary to have home care or in some cases you have to go to a rehabilitation the nurse will organize this for you together with a transfer nurse. He/she will help you to find a nursing department or institution close to your home and needs.
- You will be transferred to a nursing department in our hospital;
Your doctor or nurse will provide you with all the information you need before you are discharged. Please ask your doctor or nurse if you have any questions about this or about your follow-up care.
Patient rights and responsibilities
Patients, visitors and healthcare providers at Isala are subject to certain rules: the rights and responsibilities. These rules ensure that we can inform you properly and treat you safely. Rights and responsibilities are often based on statutory guidelines. We have described the rules for you in the Isala leaflet ‘Patient rights and responsibilities' (see below). Leaflets can also be obtained from the reception desk in the unit.
During your admission, we aim to find the best possible answer to your health problem. Your cooperation is very important in this respect. If you wish to have certain patient information printed, ask your nurse.
Complaints
If you have a complaint, discuss it with the person immediately. If you are unable to resolve it together, please contact the head of the unit. If necessary, you can also contact our complaints officer. He or she can be reached by telephone from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 088 624 47 27. More information can be found in the Isala leaflet ‘Submitting a complaint’ (see also below).
More information
If you have any questions after reading this information, you can call the secretarial office of the Acute Admissions Department at 088 624 13 25.