Health Safety & Privacy Information
Our focus is to maintain a patient- and family-centered approach to care in a safe, healing environment. Positive visits with friends and family are an important part of our philosophy. All patients have the right to have family and friends of all ages visit them at WakeMed North.
Visitors
Though we welcome visitors throughout the day and night, we ask that visitors refrain from visiting during WakeMed North Quiet Hours. Quiet Hours are special times set aside for our patients to relax, rest, bond with baby and heal. Please ask the nurse when Quiet Hours are in the unit you are visiting.
Friends and family who are sick with influenza, colds and other communicable illnesses should wait until they are well before visiting patients at WakeMed North. Children are welcome to visit patients at WakeMed North as long as they are accompanied by a responsible adult other than the patient.
Your Support Person
We encourage patients to designate a support person. The support person is welcome to be with their loved one 24 hours a day or as long as the patient wishes.
A Family Spokesperson
We encourage families to choose a spokesperson to serve as the main source of information about the patient.
During the Labor & Delivery Experience
These guidelines help us maintain a safe environment during the labor and delivery experience while supporting mothers’ choices related to visitation.
- We honor birth plans
- The support person is welcome to accompany the expectant mother into the triage area.
- At the mother’s discretion, the support person and up to three additional guests are welcome to accompany the mother during the labor and delivery experience.
- Cesarean birth visitation is limited to the support person.
Identification
- Patient ID: When patients receive their wristband ID, they should immediately check to make sure the name and birthdate are correct. Staff members will ask patients who they are and check their wristband before every procedure, surgery or test or whenever medication is given.
- Employee ID: All WakeMed employees, physicians and volunteers wear name badges and should be wearing them whenever they provide care for you.
- Surgical ID: If you are having surgery, the surgeon will initial the surgery site location to make sure there is no confusion in the operating room.
Protecting Baby
We take special precautions to make sure patients’ new bundles of joy are safe and secure throughout their stay at WakeMed North. Electronic security tags on babies’ legs alert us if anyone tampers with a tag or if babies come close to elevators or exits. In addition, police and public safety officers perform regular patrols throughout nursing units.
There are some things we encourage patients and support persons to do to keep babies safe and secure.
- New parents, support persons and babies will wear wristband IDs.
- Patients/support persons should always match the numbers on their wristbands with the numbers on the baby’s wristband.
- Keep wristbands on until the baby is discharged from the hospital.
- If a wristband is lost or damaged, immediately notify the nurse.
- Patients who are discharged from the hospital before their babies should keep their wristbands on. When they come to visit their baby, they will need to show their wristband and will likely be asked to present a valid ID (driver’s license) for security reasons.
- New parents and support persons should check for a proper WakeMed ID badge before giving their baby to anyone.
- Staff members, including WakeMed volunteers, wear an ID badge with a white background or a pink background. Their names and photos are on their badges.
- Patients and support persons are encouraged to call the nurse if they have any reservations about a staff member.
- Babies should not sleep in hospital beds with parents. They are safest in their cribs.
- Patients are welcome to walk with babies outside their rooms by pushing them in their cribs rather than holding babies in their arms.
- Patients and babies should stay in their nursing unit.
- Campus Police & Public Safety
- Non-emergency calls – 919-350-8171 (home or cell phone) ext. 08171 (hospital phone)
- Emergency calls – 919-350-3333 (home or cell phone) ext. 0333 (hospital phone)
Patient Privacy
We highly respect the privacy of our patients and do our best to only share information about their care with them and those they choose to hear the information. Medical information is only used and shared for treatment purposes, to obtain payment for treatment, for administrative purposes, and to evaluate the quality of care patients receive. Patients have the ability to view some of their medical record via WakeMed MyChart, a secure online patient portal. The WakeMed Notice of Privacy Practices information is offered to patients upon admission or in the nursing unit. It is also available at wakemed.org.
Patient Safety
You are a partner in the culture of safety at WakeMed. Our staff will educate you on how to notify us of any clinical safety concern you or your family has during your stay.
Keeping Our Patients Comfortable
Our staff members frequently ask patients about any pain they feel and work with them and their family members to identify the best comfort measures. We encourage all patients to please tell us when they are uncomfortable so we can adjust comfort measures to meet personal needs.
Preventing Falls
Some medications and procedures can make patients unsteady on their feet. To prevent falls, we encourage patients or family members to call the nurse when the patient needs to get in or out of bed.
Medication Safety
We ask our patients to please make a list of all the over-the-counter medications, prescription medications, vitamins and herbal supplements they take; the dosage of each; and how many times a day they take each one. Patients should keep the list with them or a trusted family member and make sure their nurse and physician have it too. Patients should leave all medications at home. Our nurses and physicians will administer all the medications patients need while they are here.
Leaving the Nursing Unit
Patients who are able are welcome to visit other areas of the hospital. For safety purposes, we ask patients to tell a member of the care team in the unit when they leave the unit. Newborn babies must remain in the unit.
Personal Property
We ask patients’ family members to please take home all patient valuables and personal medications. WakeMed is not responsible for lost or stolen property. If a patient forgets to send an item home with a loved one, a nurse can inventory the item, give the patient or family member a receipt and have Campus Police store it. The item can then be released to the patient or family member (with the patient’s permission) by turning in the receipt to a Campus Police officer. Campus Police cannot store medications.
Tobacco Use
WakeMed North is a tobacco-free facility. The use of all tobacco products including electronic cigarettes is not allowed inside or outside the hospital.
Fire Drills
We regularly conduct fire and disaster drills to keep patients, visitors and staff safe. After the alarm bell rings, the overhead announcer will state the purpose of the alarm. If a drill happens while you are here, please stay in your room. If there is an actual fire, a staff person will instruct you on what to do.
