ÁREA DE CONTENIDO
Admission to the ICU
A patient may be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit due to a vital emergency or because of the progressive worsening of a his/her condition while he/she is already in hospital or following a surgical intervention.
Information for relatives of a patient in the ICU
One of your loved ones has just been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.
People generally associate these units with very serious illnesses and a high degree of mortality. If you are one of these people, you should know that this is not exactly the case. Many patients are admitted to the Unit solely for surveillance, sometimes to prevent the onset of serious complications and other times they are actually admitted in a life-threatening situation, but in these cases they are in the best place in the whole hospital, from both the technical and the human point of view; after all, the ICU is the Hospital's Hospital.
While your relative remains in the ICU he/she will undergo thorough monitoring of his/her vital signs with permanent care by our healthcare professionals. All this, together with the presence of other patients means that we must keep to strict rules, which are summarised below:
►A patient's admission to the ICU
You must leave one or more contact numbers so that you can always be reached and informed in the event of an incident.
You must take care of the patient's clothes and belongings, as the patient is normally unclothed in the Unit so that there is nothing to get in the way of any emergency procedures that might be required.
If the patient is not able to do so him/herself, you must inform our healthcare professionals if you require religious support.
►Visiting the patient
The visiting hours are from 12 noon to 1 p.m. and from 6 to 7 p.m. You must try to keep to these hours. However, if you have a problem with this, tell the staff and we will try to find a satisfactory solution for you. This timetable may occasionally be altered according to the ICU's work.
No more than two people are allowed in the patient's room at one time and you should avoid an excessive rotation of relatives. This is because, even though the patient receives company and psychological support, it is not good to tire him/her out and put him/her under too much emotional strain.
In some special cases the medical staff may recommend that the patient should not receive any visits and in other case visitors may be advised to stay for longer. This decision will always be made with a view to ensuring the best possible care for the patient.
When you visit the ICU you will be provided with a gown and disposable footwear in order to keep the patient's environment as aseptic as possible.
You must not bring food, as the patient will be provided with the right diet for his/her condition. You may, however, bring books, writing materials and even a small radio, provided that you ask the healthcare staff first.
►Medical information
When the patient is admitted to the Unit, and once the necessary diagnostic tests have been performed, the intensivist will give you all the available information about the patient's condition and prognosis.
Each day, after the morning and afternoon visits, you will be informed of the patient's situation and progress.
You will also be informed if there is a sudden, unexpected worsening of the situation, provided that the intensivist considers it appropriate. You should therefore make sure that you can be reached at all times.
Lastly, when the patient is discharged, he/she will receive a full medical report of the care given in the ICU.
ONCE THE PATIENT IS SETTLED IN THE UNIT AND THE FAMILY HAS BEEN DULY INFORMED, WE ASK YOU TO VACATE THE ROOM THAT HE/SHE OCCUPIED ON THE WARD.