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Going home

We realize that a patient's well-being requires more than just medical treatment. Spiritual and emotional support is equally important during times of injury, illness and recovery.

At Iredell, you will have the services of a chaplain to assist you and your family during your stay. When it's time for you to go home, our social workers and registered nurse care coordinators are available to help with any planning that may be required. Iredell also offers support groups for cancer patients and people who have lost a loved one and would like information on coping with their grief.

Social workers

Some patients may need continued healthcare after they are discharged from the hospital. Our social workers and registered nurse care coordinators try to identify these patients early in their hospital stay to provide assistance with discharge planning. The discharge planning staff work with the patient and their physician to develop a plan for care of the patient after discharge. They can assist the patient and their family in identifying options for continued care, and will assist in the arrangement of equipment, home care services, or referral to community agencies.

When patients are not well enough or unable to return home upon discharge from the hospital, the social workers can provide the patient or family with information on other options such as a nursing care or assisted living facility. The social workers are available to work with the physician, patient and family to determine the type of care the patient needs, and provide assistance with the placement process.

Any patient or family member may request assistance from our discharge planning and social services staff by simply notifying the patient's nurse.

Going home

When you are ready to go home, you will take along our best wishes for good health.

If you are being discharged:

  • Your physician has determined you are ready to be discharged and will write a discharge order on your chart.
  • Your physician may discuss your departure and post-hospital instructions with you, as will one of our nurses.
  • You may be discharged directly from your room or you or your representative may go to the business office to confirm financial arrangements. Once financial arrangements have been satisfied, you are ready to leave.

Before leaving, please check your room, bathroom, closet and bedside table to make sure you haven't left behind any personal items. If you need assistance with discharge planning, talk to your nurse for information on self-care, or have her contact our care coordinators for other assistance.

Within a couple of weeks after your discharge, you may receive a text message asking you to leave a review or answer questions in a patient satisfaction survey. Patients are selected at random for surveys. Please do not hesitate to answer all questions honestly, whether you were pleased or displeased with the care you received. We value our patients' comments. You may also receive a questionnaire from a specific department or service area if you were an outpatient.