Thank you for letting us care for you at Williamson Memorial Hospital. Our professional staff is ready to answer your questions and make your stay as comfortable as possible. Specific information about your surgery will be explained by your doctor and nurse. We wish you a speedy recovery.
In order to prepare, be sure to follow the below instructions.
Preparing For Surgery
We strive to make your admittance to our hospital as smooth and comfortable as possible. One way to ease any concerns you may have is to take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with our processes before your arrive. Please be sure to ask any member of your healthcare team if you have further questions about your upcoming surgery.
In order to prepare, be sure to
- Stop eating and drinking after midnight before surgery, or as directed.
- Ask when to stop taking aspirin or other blood thinners, herbs, vitamins and supplements. Some of these can interfere with surgery or interact with other medications.
- Ask which medications you should continue to take. If told to take your medication on the day of surgery, do so with only a sip of water, or as directed.
- If you smoke, cut down or quit.
- Arrive at least an hour prior to your scheduled surgery time.
- Bring a comprehensive list of all medications you take on a regular basis.
What to Bring
The following guidelines are for you to use when bringing personal belongings from home while a patient at our hospital
- For your added comfort during your stay with us, you are welcome to bring personal toiletry items.
- It is important that you inform your nurse of any medications you may have brought with you to the hospital including any complementary/alternative medications (i.e. herbal products, and send home with your family, or the nurse will secure these for you until discharge).
- To prevent electrical shock or fire, bringing in personal electrical devices is strongly discouraged. If you do bring in any electrical equipment, it is a requirement that it be checked by the Plant Operations Department prior to use.
- We strongly recommend leaving your valuables at home where you know they are safe. The hospital will not accept liability for any valuables you choose to leave in your room.
It is our goal to make your hospital stay as comfortable and pleasant as possible. You are the reason we are here. Taking care of your needs is a priority for our team.
Advance Directives
The Patient Self-Determination Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1990, requires health care facilities to provide information on "advance directives" to their patients upon admission. An advance directive states an individual's treatment choices.
It also allows you to name someone to make treatment decisions - to accept or refuse medial care - for you if at some point you cannot make them yourself, and the decision to make, after a person's death, an anatomical gift. This type of advance directive is often called a "medical power of attorney," "durable power of attorney" or "health care proxy". The person named in this type of advance directive can make all health care decisions for you that you could have made for yourself if you were able, whether or not you are terminally ill, or only those decisions you list.
According to the law, the person you choose cannot make decisions that he/she knows go against your religious beliefs, basic values, and stated preferences. These documents are signed, dated and witnessed by two individuals and may be completed any time prior to or during hospitalization.
Upon your admission to Williamson Memorial Hospital, you will be asked if you have an advanced directive. If you do not, you will be offered information on your rights to make advance decisions regarding your medical care. You do not have to make an advance directive. The decision is yours to make.
If you do have an advance directive, it is important that we obtain a copy for your medical record. If you do not have a copy of your advance directive with you, you will be asked to advise your physician and nurse of the content in your document.
At no time will the provision of care be conditioned upon the existence of an advance directive nor will a patient be discriminated against because of the existence of an advance directive.