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Your Hospital Stay

We strive to make your stay at Eden Medical Center the best it can be. We hope that this information is useful in preparing you for your hospital stay.

Care Team

Along with your physician, your registered nurse (RN) is your primary caregiver at the hospital and your main point of contact with other caregivers. Other nursing personnel, such as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) or Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) are important members of your nursing team. The state of California mandates strict nurse-to-patient staffing levels, and Eden Medical Center meets or exceeds these requirements, which vary depending on the unit.

You will also receive care or assistance from other hospital staff members. Laboratory technicians, radiology technologists, respiratory therapists, physical and occupational therapists, case managers, dietitians, housekeepers and others all play an important role in ensuring your stay is a positive experience at Eden.

Because the staff rotates shifts three times daily, you will receive care from different caregivers throughout your stay. Every member of our staff wears a photo identification badge for security reasons. The names of your caregivers will also be noted on the Communication Board in your room.

Remember that you are also a key member of your care team! You have a right to participate in every aspect of your care and make informed decisions about your care. Ask questions to make sure you understand what procedures are being performed and why.
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Change of Condition

In the event that a patient's condition worsens suddenly, Eden Medical Center has a Rapid Response Team (RRT) available 24 hours a day. The purpose of the Rapid Response Team is to bring critical care expertise to the patient bedside.

We believe in teamwork and patients and family members are all part of the care team. A family member or visitor may initiate the Rapid Response Team by contacting the nurse or any health care provider in the event of an emergency or if they notice a sudden and serious change in the patient's condition.

We hope that you will never need to call the RRT, but be assured that we are ready to respond around the clock.
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Infection Prevention

Eden Medical Center has an infection control program to protect patients from acquiring infections in the hospital. Eden follows the most up-to-date regulations and guidelines for preventing infections. These include:

Using hand hygiene before and after patient care
Monitoring the cleaning, sterilization and disinfection of equipment within the hospital
Using best practices for inserting and maintaining IVs, respiratory tubes and urinary catheters, and removing them as soon as they are no longer needed
Screening patients for Methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) upon admission and, if found, using isolation precautions
Prescribing antibiotics only when needed
Vaccinating patients and health care providers
Performing a surgical scrub and using sterile technique for surgeries and special procedures.

Language Interpreters

We value the rich cultural heritage of our patient population and recognize that English may not be a patient's primary language. Eden Medical Center offers medical interpretation services for more than 150 languages by telephone, as well as sign language interpreters, 24 hours a day to ensure that information is clearly communicated. This service is free of charge to our patients.
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Mail

Family and friends can send cards and letters to you by using our mailing address:

Eden Medical Center
Attn: Patient Name and Room Number
20103 Lake Chabot Road
Castro Valley, CA 94546

Be sure to have friends and family include your name and room number, if possible, so that your mail can be delivered to you quickly. Mail received after you are discharged will be forwarded to your home address.
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Nurse and Director Rounding

Your nurse will check on you during rounding about once every hour to:

assess your pain
assist with turning/repositioning
assist with toileting or cleaning
move items within reach (table, phone, water, etc.)

If you need assistance at any time, use the call button located on the rails on both sides of the bed or on the handheld controller.

The charge nurse or unit director will also visit you once a day. Please direct any questions or concerns to them at that time. Feel free to ask for a visit from the unit director if you have any concerns you would like to discuss.

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Pain Management

Our goal is to keep you as comfortable as possible. However, we cannot promise a total absence of pain. It is important that patients take an active role in managing pain.

It is easier to prevent pain than to treat it once it has become established. Do not wait until your pain is unbearable before asking for medication. It may take several doses of a medication to achieve effective pain relief. We will ask you to rate your pain using a 0-10 pain rating scale.

Although each person experiences pain in a different way, using this scale helps the physicians and nurses know how well your treatment is working and whether to make any changes. Your doctor will discuss with you which pain management options are best to meet your individual needs. It is important to let them know of any allergies or prior experiences you may have had with pain medication.
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Physician Visits

Your doctor wants to keep you and your family informed and will generally visit patients every 24 hours. We are unable to give patients and families the exact times of doctors' visits, but the nurse or charge nurse may be able to give you a window of time when the doctor will visit.

To prepare for your doctor's visit:

Designate a primary contact with whom the doctor and nurse staff may communicate, to give updated information and changing conditions. Please let your nursing staff know who you want to be your primary contact so it can be indicated on your medical record.
Make a list of questions for the doctor.

Room Service and Meals

Your meals will be prepared based on your doctor's orders about what you can eat. If you are on a regular diet, your family may bring you food from outside of the hospital. If you are on any diet besides a regular diet, your physician must write an order to allow you to have food from outside the hospital. Please do not bring in more food than you can eat in one meal, and use disposable containers. We do not have refrigerators in which to keep your food and, in accordance with state health regulations, any uneaten perishable food must be thrown out after two hours.

Eden offers room service, called Taste of Excellence, for your dining needs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Patients can choose what they want to eat from a restaurant-style menu. Our Food and Nutritional Services department is proud to provide you with healthy and nourishing meals. To place a room service order, call ext. 78299. Please allow up to 45 minutes for your meal to be delivered to you. Our Food and Nutritional Services staff is available to help you select items that meet any dietary restrictions you have. Your family may also order meals for you if you are unable to do so. If they are calling from outside the hospital, the Room Service number is (510) 727-8299. If you have questions about your diet or nutritional needs, please ask your nurse to submit a referral to our registered dietitians.
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Safety and Security

The safety and security of our patients is of utmost importance to us. We encourage patients and families to be active participants in their care and to ask questions when you don't understand something. To assist with communication, it is best if you identify one person to act as your primary contact and/or support person.

Medication Safety
Eden Medical Center has taken significant steps to protect patients from medication errors. Every patient wears a wristband with his or her name on it and a bar code. This bar code is used to match and monitor the medication ordered by your doctor. Before administering medications, nurses and other caregivers scan the bar code on the patient's wristband, on the nurse's own identification badge, and on the medication itself using a handheld device. A bedside computer integrates these bar codes with medical databases and the list of other medications you may be taking, to provide patient-specific information. Through immediate feedback on the computer screen, the bedside nurse will be alerted to any potential errors and other critical information that could prevent adverse drug effects.

Preventing Falls
You are at greater risk of falling while in an unfamiliar place such as a hospital. Most falls occur as people are trying to move to and from the bathroom.

Always ask for help when you need to get up. Your nurse will stop in at least every hour, but please call for assistance whenever you need it.

Invasive Procedures
If you are having surgery at Eden, part of your pre-operative preparation requires your caregivers to verify your identity, what kind of surgery you are having and the part of your body on which surgery is to be performed. You will be asked these questions many times. This is done for your safety. Please be patient with us.

If you are undergoing a medical procedure involving either the right or left side of your body, your surgeon will mark the site with a "yes," or the surgeon's initials. Right- or left-sided procedures on your face will be marked with a dot to indicate the correct side. This is very important to ensure your safety.

Speak Up!
Everyone has a role in making health care safe. You can make your care safer by being an active, involved and informed member of your health care team. Research shows that patients who take part in decisions about their own health care are more likely to get better faster. To help prevent medical mistakes, patients are urged to "Speak Up."

Speak up if you have questions or concerns. If you still don't understand, ask again. It's your body and you have the right to know.
Pay attention to the care you get. Always make sure you get the right treatments and medications by the right health care professionals. Don't assume anything. Tell your nurse or doctor if something doesn't seem right.
Educate yourself about your illness. Learn about the medical tests you will get. Learn about your care plan. Check out our online Health Library and other resources to help you learn more about your health.
Ask a trusted family member or friend to be your advocate (advisor or supporter). Your advocate can ask questions that you may not think about when you are stressed. Your advocate can remember answers to questions you have asked. Make sure this person understands the care you want. Make sure they know what you want done about life support and other life-saving efforts.
Know what medicines you take. Know why you take them. Medicine errors are the most common health care mistakes. Ask why you should take the medicine. Ask for written information about it. Find out its brand and generic names. Ask about the side effects of all medicines.
Participate in all decisions about your treatment. You are the center of the health care team. You and your doctor should agree on exactly what will be done during each step of your care.

The "Speak Up" program is sponsored by The Joint Commission. They agree that patients should be involved in their own health care. These efforts to increase consumer awareness and involvement are also supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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Shift Change

During the change of shift, the nurses will give bedside report in the patient's room. The purpose of bedside report is to keep patients informed, answer questions and set goals for discharge. The patient and appropriate decision makers will be included in bedside report. During bedside report the nurse will share the plan of care with the patient and family and document goals on the communication board in the room. The nurses may ask visitors to step out of the room during bedside report.

The shifts change at approximately 7:00 to 7:30 a.m., 3:00 to 3:30 p.m. and 11:00 to 11:30 p.m. The exact times of shift change for your unit may differ. If you need to speak to your nurse, please do so before the change of shift.
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Spiritual Care

Eden Medical Center provides the services of a hospital chaplain who can provide spiritual guidance, read from scripture, talk through a difficult decision or provide a sacrament, anointing or blessing, and prayer. Contact the Spiritual Care Coordinator to arrange for a visit by calling (510) 537-1234 or ext. 71234 from any hospital telephone. There is also a Chapel for meditation on the first floor.
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Wireless Internet Access

Eden Medical Center provides free wireless Internet service to patients and families from their personal laptop computers, tablets or smart phones. No password is needed to connect to the network; however, you must agree to the terms of usage.
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