Welcome to the Neurological, Neuro-Progressive Care and Rehabilitation Unit

M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Date: March 17, 2010
Duration: 08:19

Narrator:

Hello and welcome to the Neurological, Neuro-Progressive Care and Rehabilitation Unit for the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center where our top priority is you. This is the best place for you to recover after brain and spine treatment. An entire team of healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, lab technicians, therapists, dieticians, case managers, and social workers will make your stay pleasant and one of quality. In essence, we're here for you. This video shows you your room, answers some basic questions you might have, and we'll give you an idea of what your stay might be like here on our unit.

Narrator:

Let's begin by taking a look at some of the important features you'll find in your room. For your safety and in case you need help, several call lights are located throughout the room. One, an orange button with a cross on it can be found on either side of your bed, both inside and out. Another can be found on a remote attached to your bed. You can also call for help from two call lights in your restroom, one in the shower and the other right next to the toilet. Since you're our top priority and safety is very important, please use the call light if you need us. If you need to get out of your bed or chair, call, don't fall, meaning push your button and wait for someone to help you. We don't mind, we're here for you. Your bed has an air mattress that adjusts to make you more comfortable. There are several buttons you may use to adjust your comfort level. You may notice that when you move, you can sometimes hear the air whistling. This is normal. You'll find buttons to control the TV, music stations and lights on a remote attached to your bed. Light controls are also on the wall by the door, on the wall behind the bed, and on the rails of the bed. Cabinets and doors are for your personal belongings. You'll be given a discharge folder upon your admission. Please keep this nearby. You and your family may need to use it as it often has important information about your stay including medicines, procedures and your care at home.

Narrator:

Now that we've shown you some important features in your room, let's look at what you can expect during your hospital stay.

Nurse:

Good morning Mary, my name is Alice.

Narrator:

The laboratory technician begins taking blood samples around 4 A.M. You could also be weighed as early as 5 A.M. Your doctor will need that information before visiting you. Doctors typically visit patients between 6 to 7 A.M. Even when your doctor isn't on the unit, a physician assistant or advanced practice nurse is on-call 24 hours a day. Throughout the day, a nurse will check your arm bands, IV pump and other equipment. If your IV pump starts beeping and the nurse does not come to you, please push the call light. The amount you drink and the amount you urinate will be measured throughout the day. Dinning services will deliver meals to your room upon your request between 6:30 A.M. to 9:30 P.M. This is a service provided to you with your hospital stay. For a fee, they will also bring meals for your visitors. Just call 2-DINE or 2-3463. There's no need to tip, they're here for you. There is a family room available to all visitors. A daily supply of coffee is given free of charge as well as ice and water. Please note that when placing food in the refrigerator, it must be properly wrapped and clearly labeled with the name and date. Visiting hours are from 8 A.M. to 10 P.M. daily. We ask that children not visit after 8 P.M.

Narrator:

Shh, it's quiet time. Between the hours of 2:30 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. Monday through Friday, we dim the lights as a visual reminder to be quiet and to keep activity at a minimum to allow patients to rest. One guest may stay the night. A chair in your room unfolds into a bed. Please contact your hospital aid if you need help.

Narrator:

We follow certain guidelines to prevent you and other patient from falling. You may notice a stoplight outside your door which indicates your fall risk level. Please be sure to wear your nonskid socks to keep you from slipping when getting out of bed. Because we are very concerned with your safety, we have many tools to help you remain safe and free from harm. You might see us use several forms of equipment to help us do this. One of them is the gate belt. We'll place it around your waist or chest if needed to help stabilize you or guide you when walking, wear it at all times when out of bed. If you're walking with an IV pole, please hold on to it while you walk. There are several types of equipment here to help move you out of bed and into a chair. There are also walkers and wheel chairs if you need one. We may use a bladder scanner to make sure that you are urinating properly. If you need this, your nurse will explain this to you in full detail. Anti-embolism stockings or TED hoses are used to help prevent blood clot from forming in your legs. You will wear them 23 hours a day. Your doctor may also want you to wear a compression device on your legs to promote blood flow while you are in bed. Your nurse needs to remove the device before you get out of bed.

Narrator:

Just breathe in slowly with this.

Narrator:

An incentive spirometer and Acapella may be prescribed by your doctor to help prevent pneumonia and help you breathe well. Your nurse or a respiratory therapist can show you how to use it. Occasionally, visitors must wear special protection when seeing patients. If this is true for you, we will take all precautions to ensure your safety and comfort. Your comfort is important to us so we often ask about your level of pain and ask that you rate it on a scale of 0 to 10. 0 means that you have no pain. 10 is the highest level of pain. Because it is much easier to control your pain when it is at a lower level, let your nurse know as soon as you begin to feel pain so that we can help you remain comfortable.

Narrator:

Depending up on your doctor, you may have a special plan of care. For instance, as a neuro- progressive care patient, you will be brought to our unit after surgery and we will check on you every hour for the first day. We will monitor you closely from then on to detect the slightest change that needs to be reported to your doctor. If you have a lumbar drain, it is very important not to adjust the bed or change position without telling the nurse and waiting for him or her to come and help you first. We will take your neuro vital signs often throughout your stay. This is the best way to alert us of subtle changes that would prompt our immediate attention. As a rehab patient on our unit, you are expected to participate in a minimum of 3 hours of therapy a day, Monday through Friday. We will schedule all of your other treatments around your therapy times. We will try not to disturb you between 11 P.M. and 6 A.M. so that you may sleep and rest to perform well in your therapy the next day. Please refer to your patient education guide to view this or any other video anytime of the day or night. We hope this program has been helpful in showing you what to expect during your stay here on the Neurological Neuro Progressive Care and Rehabilitation Unit. If you have questions or need more information, please see the patient education information folder or ask your aid or nurse. You are part of why M.D. Anderson is the premier cancer institution in the world and remember.

Healthcare team:

We're here for you.