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Your Road Map to an Excellent Surgical Service Experience
Welcome to Parkwest Medical Center. Thank you for considering our facility for your surgical procedure. Our goal is to provide you and your loved one with excellent care and service. During the surgical experience if there is anything we can do to better meet your needs, please do not hesitate to let us know.
This page answers some commonly asked questions from our patients and visitors. Please keep in mind the care we give is based on each individual patient’s unique needs. Therefore, times and other information may be adjusted to provide each patient with excellent care. If you have any additional questions or needs please feel free to contact our Volunteers or one of our Surgery staff members.
May I stay with my loved one until the procedure?
One family member may stay with their loved one until they are taken to our Surgery Holding Area. If other family members are present, it is certainly permissible to take turns visiting. We limit the number of guests in the patient room to enable the nursing staff to provide the patient the privacy and attention they deserve.
How will I be kept informed during the procedure?
Patients are taken to Surgery Holding generally one hour before the scheduled surgery time, but it is not unusual for them to be taken earlier. Once your loved one has been taken to Surgery Holding, you are asked to check in with the Volunteers in the Surgery Waiting Area. You will receive a restaurant style pager so that you can be reached if you leave. (Please note the pager will not work outside the hospital). If you leave the hospital, we ask that you tell a Volunteer so we can get a cell phone number to update you on any communication from surgical services. We ask that you keep at least one family member in the waiting area for emergency purposes.
The Surgery nurse will contact you via the Volunteers upon the start of surgery and every hour during the surgery. Once your loved one is in the Recovery Room, the Recovery Room nurse will contact you every hour to give you updates on his/her condition.
What about the Pastor?
We recognize the pastor’s role in the care of our patients. We suggest that pastors see the patient 1 1/2 to 2 hours before the scheduled surgery time. If your pastor is not available, you can request a Parkwest Chaplain to visit with you by simply inquiring with our staff. Parkwest also has a quiet Chapel located on the second fl oor. Please ask the Volunteer to direct you.
When will we see the Doctor?
After surgery, a Volunteer will accompany family/friends to one of our private consultation rooms where they will be able to speak directly with the Surgeon. Afterwards, family/friends should return to Surgery Waiting while the patient is in the Recovery Room. Following
surgery, most patients will go to the Recovery Room for approximately one hour; however, this may vary for each patient. The hospital Volunteer will notify family/friends when the patient is transported to his/her hospital room. If this does not occur, please ask the Volunteer to seek information for you.
What about Evenings or Weekends?
During the evening and weekend hours, hospital Volunteers may not be present; during these times you will be assisted by members of the surgical services staff. You may be asked to wait in one of our private consultation rooms so that we know where to contact you while your loved one is having their surgical procedure. There is a phone located in the consultation rooms so the surgical nurse can update you hourly, and your surgeon will come to this room to update you after the surgical procedure.
What about children?
Waiting in a surgical waiting room can be very difficult for some children and they may be more comfortable staying at home with family or friends. Visitors anxious about their loved ones’ surgery may become uncomfortable or inpatient with disruptive behavior. If it is necessary for you to bring children, we ask that you be considerate of other families who are also waiting. Please keep your children with you at all times and do not allow them to wander freely in the Surgery Waiting Area or hallways out of respect for others. Please ask your children to keep their voices low and provide them with quiet activities to entertain them while they are waiting.
How do I get to the Boulevard Bistro?
The Boulevard Bistro is located on the Lower Level and is always open for your convenience. You may use the staircase located just outside the Surgery Waiting Area or the Riverstone elevators located around the corner that will take you to the Lower Level. There are several dining options available in the Bistro, as well as vending and ATM machines. If you bring food or drinks to the Surgery Waiting Area, we ask that you be considerate of others and clean up after you have finished.
What about smoking?
Please note that we are a non-smoking facility. If you must smoke, please ask one of the Volunteers for directions to the designated smoking area. If you are interested in information on how to quit smoking, please feel free to ask any of our staff members’ for assistance.
How do I utilize the Patient Tracking Board?
In addition to our Volunteers keeping you notified of your loved one’s progress, you can also track their progress by viewing our Patient Tracking Board(s) located in our Surgery Waiting Area. You will be given a unique case identifier which will be shown on the tracking board in one of many colors. The colors allow you to track your loved one’s progress throughout our Surgical Services process. If you have any questions, please ask one of our Volunteers at the Volunteer desk.
- Scheduled - Your patient is scheduled but not yet arrived in our Surgical Services area
- Day Surgery - Your patient is in our Ambulatory Staging Area
- Surgery Holding Area - Your patient is in our Holding Area being prepped for their surgical procedure
- Surgery Start - The surgical procedure has begun
- Surgery Stop - The surgical procedure is over
- Room Stop - Your patient is in our Recovery Room
Questions for the Surgeon...
We realize that having someone you love face surgery is a time of anxiety. Often, you have questions in mind for the Surgeon, however are unable to recall them during the Surgeon’s visit. This is normal, and to ensure that you and your loved one receive excellent care, we suggest writing these questions or concerns down ahead of time.
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