During Your Stay

Your Room

Your room assignment at MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center is based upon your admitting diagnosis and bed availability on the day of your admission. If you are admitted to a semi-private room and would like to request a private room, please speak to the nurse manager on your floor.

If you have any problems with your room (temperature, cleanliness, etc.) please let a member of the nursing staff know.

MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center is a smoke-free facility. For the good health of our patients, visitors and employees, smoking is not allowed anywhere on the campus, including in patient rooms.

All of our patient rooms are equipped with television sets and many with DVD players. Please be considerate of other patients by playing TV sets softly and by turning off your set at bedtime. You may bring a video or movie from home to watch.

Each day, inpatients receive personal delivery of their mail along with a vase of flowers from MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center, delivered by one of our volunteers to brighten your day. The Chronicle-Independent newspaper is also delivered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Telephones

Telephones are provided in each patient room. Patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) do not have phones in their rooms; however, there is a phone in the ICU Family Waiting Room. You may call that phone at 803-425-6215.

Telephone calls are transferred to patient rooms between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. If you do not know the patient’s room number, call 803-432-4311. Your friends and family may call your room directly using the following numbers:

• For rooms 200-208, 301-339, and 801-804, dial 803-713-6 + the patient’s room number.
• For rooms 275-296 and 375-396, dial 803-713-3 + the patient’s room number.

The area code for all rooms is 803. No long distance calls may be charged to a patient’s room. If you will need to place a long distance call from your room, please plan ahead and bring a phone card with you. You may place local calls from your room by dialing 9 + the number.

Food Service

Nourishing, well-balanced meals are an important part of your treatment and recovery. MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center offers a wide variety of meal selections, as well as a number of diets tailored to specific needs. Our inpatient menu allows you to select the items you’d like for each meal. Please consult the menu in your room for choices. You may order from 6:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. by calling extension 1238. We have a customer service representative available to assist patients on special diets to make their selections.

Our cafeteria and vending facilities offer a selection of entrees, sandwiches, salads, and snacks for family members and visitors.

Please check with your nurse before eating any food brought to you from outside the medical center. You may be on a special diet, or on dietary restrictions because of planned tests or surgery.

Translation Services

If you or a loved one does not speak English, we have a translation service (Cyracom) available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is staffed by certified translators with medical terminology experience, and there is no charge for using it. It is available by phone and can provide translation for over 120 languages. Just ask if you’d like to use this service.

In addition, a short Spanish-language film introducing Kershaw Medical Center is available for your viewing. It explains many of the things you will need to do and shows many of the places you’ll be going if you’re coming to the medical center for a procedure or stay. Please ask a staff member if you are interested in seeing it.

Hourly Rounding

During your stay at MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center a member of our nursing staff will visit your room every hour. Please feel free to ask questions, voice concerns ,or request information at this time. We understand medical terminology can be confusing, so if you don’t understand something, please ask. In addition, if you press the nurse call button located on your bed rail, the nursing station is alerted that you need assistance and a light flashes above your door. A staff member will respond to your signal as soon as possible.

If you have a question about or concern with your care, please speak with the nurse manager on your floor.

Should you have an issue you feel has not been addressed after speaking to the nurse manager, please contact CARE Call at extension 2273.

Physician Rounds

Physicians typically visit their patients in the hospital early in the morning (from 6:30 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.) and in the evening (from 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.). If you or a family member would like to make sure you get to speak with your physician, please let your nurse know, and they’ll alert the doctor. Have questions you’d like to ask your doctor? Write them down so you don’t forget.

Infection Control

Hand washing is another important safety step we take very seriously. Every healthcare provider should wash their hands or use alcohol-based gel hand sanitizer for at least 15 seconds every time they enter or leave your room. If you don’t see them do this, ask. Your family members and visitors should also wash their hands every time they enter or leave your room. You should wash your hands frequently, especially after using the bathroom and before eating or drinking. It’s one of the best ways to prevent the spread of infection.

Another simple way to prevent the spread of infections is by using respiratory etiquette. In simple terms – cover your cough. Many infections are spread when people cough. Protect everyone by using a tissue, not your hands, to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Don’t have a tissue? Sneeze or cough into your elbow or the sleeve of your shirt. This prevents germs from getting on your hands, where they’re easily spread to others. And finally, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after you sneeze or cough.

Patient Safety

Your safety while staying with us is of utmost importance. One way we do that is with patient identification. Many people have similar – or even identical – names. While you may wear a hospital identification bracelet, you’ll also find that we ask you to repeat your full name and date of birth at every stage. Please be patient…this is our way of ensuring we have the correct person and information every time we see you.

You’ll also find that we take many precautions to avoid falls while you’re here. Simply being hospitalized puts you at a greater risk for several reasons – you’re in an unfamiliar environment, you’re taking medications you’re not accustomed to, and you’re probably not getting as much sleep as you would at home. All of these can contribute to falls. That’s why we’d like you to CALL…don’t fall. If you need to get out of bed for any reason, please use your call button and ask for assistance. Our staff will be glad to help you, because it’s always better to be safe.

Security

We do our best to provide a safe and secure environment for all our patients and visitors. The medical center campus is patrolled by security personnel and closed-circuit cameras around the clock. After regular visiting hours, they maintain a sign-in sheet for visitors and offer security escorts to the parking lot. Please note that visitors coming to the medical center after 8:30 pm must use the Emergency Room/Outpatient entrance and sign in at the security desk. The security office also provides a centralized location for lost and found items.

To contact security, please call 803-713-2442 or 803-713-2703.

Health Education Network

An extensive selection of educational videos covering medical, health, and wellness topics of interest are available on our Health Education Network. They cover topics as diverse as heart disease, breastfeeding and pain management, and also include a special “Caring for Kids” series which addresses newborn care and similar topics. There is no charge for these videos.

Hospitalists

If you do not have a primary care physician, while you are in the hospital you will be seen by a hospitalist – a special member of our medical staff. These board-certified physicians and certified nurse practitioners manage the care of hospitalized patients in coordination with specialists. They will see you only while you are in the hospital. They do not provide follow-up care or have their own practice.

During your stay, the hospitalist will oversee your daily care, including ordering and reviewing tests, managing medications, coordinating therapy and other care, and working with case managers to create a plan for your discharge from the hospital. When you’re ready to leave the hospital, they will coordinate your ongoing care with a primary-care physician or clinic.

Pediatric Patients

We have a pediatric unit specially designed with hand-painted murals on the walls and other details we hope will make your child’s stay in the hospital more welcoming. We encourage one parent to stay with the child at all times, and children are welcome to bring their own pajamas and security items like a teddy bear or blanket. Sleeping accommodations and three meals each day are provided for the parent. Please check with the nurses before bringing in food or other treats for your child – they may be on a special diet or awaiting tests.

Visiting hours on the pediatric unit are the same as general hospital visiting hours, but we ask that no children under 12 visit. Children’s immature immune systems leave them vulnerable to the many infections commonly present in a hospital. Please check with the nurse manager if a sibling under age 12 would like to visit.

Women's Center

We know that welcoming a new member of the family into the world is a unique and special experience, and we want to be there with you every step of the way. The Women's Center at MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center offers prenatal classes to help you prepare for the big event, as well as lots of support, education and encouragement while you’re here.

Please remember that South Carolina law requires you to have an infant car seat for your newborn when you leave the hospital. If you have questions about purchasing or installing a car seat or any other child safety questions, please contact Whitney Hinson, SafeKIds Kershaw County, at 803-432-4564.

For information on our prenatal classes or to request a tour of the Women's Center, please call Phyllis Shearin at 803-713-6263.

If you think you are in labor, please go directly to the emergency room. If your doctor has sent you to the hospital to be admitted, please go to the registration desk at the emergency room/outpatient entrance of the medical center.

Compliance

At MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center, we strive to maintain the highest levels of corporate integrity and compliance. If you ever have a concern regarding inappropriate or unethical activity, please report it immediately to our corporate compliance officer.

Corporate Compliance Officer

Susan McCammon, RHIA/CPHRM/HIT Pro-CP
803-713-6236

You may also use our reporting hotline to report any instances of of questionable behavior or concerns about unethical activity. The reporting hotline is available to anyone.

Contact AlertLine at 800-826-6762.