Pediatric Trauma and Burn Services

Pediatric Trauma and Burn Services

Our nursing staff uses smartphones to communicate with other members of your health care team. We also are available to family members. These phone numbers change every shift with nurse assignment. Nurses may give you their smartphone number so you can reach them while they are caring for patients. This number is only valid during their shift. The nurses on the next shift will give you their smartphone number. While your loved one is in the Trauma and Burn Unit, we will assign them a PIN number that is used to protect and control their medical information. This number must be given to the nurse if a family member calls to inquire about the patient. If someone calls but does not have the PIN number, no information can be given. The caller will be referred back to the primary family members. Welcome to the Trauma and Burn Unit We know that having a child in the hospital is very stressful. This brochure is meant to provide you with some information about what to expect during your child s stay to help make the situation a little easier. Important Information Patient s Room: Patient s PIN Number: Trauma and Burn Unit Phone: 412-232-8225 For detailed information about the services at UPMC Mercy, please refer to the Patient Handbook you received on admission. 1

Nurses work on a shift schedule, so you may have many different nurses depending on the length of your child s hospital stay. During a shift change, your new nurse will receive information from the previous shift nurse and will also introduce him/herself to you and your child and give you a new smartphone contact number. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Who will be a part of my child s health care team? You will meet many new people in the hospital. Each person has a specific role in helping your child to get healthy. We all work together as a team to make sure your child is receiving the best care possible. If you have questions about who a health care team member is or what role they play in your child s care, please don t hesitate to ask them. Will my child have a designated nurse? A bedside nurse will always be designated to work with your child and your family. Nurses are responsible for providing your child with his or her daily care. This may include administering medicine, measuring vitals (heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, etc.), and generally ensuring that your child s medical needs are taken care of. Your nurse is the person who is most familiar with your child s day-to-day care. If you have any questions or concerns about your child s medical care, please make sure to ask. What is a Child Life Specialist? Another new face you will want to meet is the Child Life Specialist. A Child Life Specialist is someone who is trained in child development and can help children to cope while in the hospital. The specialist can provide age-appropriate education for your child about diagnosis and treatments. The specialist also runs the playroom and can provide bedside activities. See the Child Life Specialist brochure for more information about the services they can provide. If you have any questions about Child Life, please have your nurse page the Child Life Specialist at 412-602-0019. Will someone be able to stay with my child if I am not able to be there all of the time? We can arrange to have a sitter stay with our pediatric patients. The sitters are a wonderful resource and provide an extra set of eyes and hands to make sure your child is receiving the best care possible. 2 3

Meal trays are not provided to family or friends. There is a cafeteria on the 2nd floor of the hospital where food can be purchased. To get to the cafeteria, leave the unit through the Visitor Exit and turn left. At the first hallway, turn left again. You will come to the Yellow Elevators on your left. Take the elevators to the 2nd floor. When you get off of the elevator, you will be in the cafeteria lobby. The sitter will go everywhere your child goes, even if parents or other family members are present, to ensure that your child is never alone and to make sure he or she is safe. Just like the nursing staff, sitters work on a shift schedule, so don t be surprised if several sitters are assigned to work with your family. If you have any questions about sitters, please ask. We are more than willing to answer your questions so that you are comfortable with the team who is working with your family. What is the visitation policy? UPMC Mercy welcomes parents to stay with their child at all times during a hospital admission. Guests are welcome too, but please remember that in order for our staff to provide your child with the best care, they need to have constant and immediate access to your child. Keeping visitors to groups of 2 or 3 people helps us to be able to provide the best care possible. Visitors may be asked to leave your child s room so that medical care can be given (for example, during dressing changes). Can I stay overnight? One recliner chair will be provided for a parent to spend the night in the child s room if they wish. If you need housing assistance, please contact the social worker on duty. When will meal trays be provided? Meal trays are provided to each patient at 8 a.m., 12 p.m., and 5 p.m. Each morning, a member of the food service team will stop by your child s room to get the meal orders for the day. Please make sure to inform the food service worker of any allergies or diet limitations your child has. 4 5

What kind of treatment will my child receive? If your child has been admitted for a burn injury, he or she will have hydrotherapy each morning, usually between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. This is a procedure during which your child s burn dressings are removed and the burn area is cleaned with soap and water. New medicine is applied and the dressing is replaced. Hydrotherapy takes place in a treatment room. Your nurse will tell you what time your child will have hydrotherapy and will escort him or her to the treatment room. Monday through Friday, a Child Life Specialist will accompany your child to hydrotherapy to ensure that he or she is coping well with the treatment. Following treatment, the hydrotherapy nurses will talk to your bedside nurse about the type of dressing that was placed on your child s burn area. If you have any questions about the dressing, please ask your nurse. If you have any questions about how your child coped with the procedure, please ask the Child Life Specialist. 6 Is my child able to play on the unit? The playroom is available at any time. Children and teens of all ages are welcome in the playroom. All children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult at all times when in the playroom. However, the Child Life Specialist is only available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The playroom is a medical-free zone where kids can be kids and get away from the stress of being in the hospital. Children and teens can do a craft, play a board game, read a book, or play on the Xbox 360, PS3, or Wii. If you have any questions about the playroom, please ask the Child Life Specialist (pager number 412-602-0019). Before going to the playroom, please make sure to check with your nurse to see if your child, for health reasons, is allowed to go. Please sign out of the unit on the sign out sheet at the nurses station before you go to the playroom. 7

Where can I park? Parking is available in the parking garage across the street from the hospital. How do I get to the Trauma and Burn Unit from the parking garage? To get to the Trauma and Burn Unit from the parking garage, go to Level D of the parking garage and cross the bridge into the main hospital. Go straight ahead to the purple elevators and take them to the 4th floor. When you get off of the elevator, turn right and follow the long and winding hallway until you come to the outpatient Trauma and Burn Center, room 4214. Just after the Trauma and Burn Center, turn right and go to the second set of double doors on the right, room 4220, labeled as the Inpatient Trauma and Burn Unit. How do I enter the unit? Each guest (including parents) is required to check with the unit secretary at the Visitors Entrance before entering the unit. To do this, ring the doorbell on the outside of the unit, room 4220. The secretary will check with the bedside nurse to make sure it is OK for the guest to come in. The secretary will unlock the door so the guest can enter. How do I leave the unit? All visitors must exit the unit through the Visitor Exit (which is the same as the Visitor Entrance). To leave the unit, your child must receive approval from the bedside nurse and be signed out of the unit. Patients are not allowed to leave the floor without a staff member. For example, your child s physical therapist may accompany him or her to one of our rehab gyms for therapy. However, you and your child are not allowed to play in the gyms without staff supervision. The sign out sheet is located at the nurses station. TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF Although your focus may be on helping your child to get better, it is still important to take care of yourself. Take time to eat, shower, or just go for a walk. The Child Life Specialist may be available to spend some time with your child while you take a break. If you need to spend an extended period of time away from the hospital (to take care of things at home, go to work, etc.), a sitter can be arranged to stay with your child. THANK YOU At UPMC Mercy, we are committed to providing the highest standard of care. If there is anything we can do to make the hospital experience better for your child and for you, please let us know. 8 9

UPMC Mercy 1400 Locust St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-232-8225 UPMC.com/Mercy UPMC is an equal opportunity employer. UPMC policy prohibits discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, sex, genetics, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected group status. Further, UPMC will continue to support and promote equal employment opportunity, human dignity, and racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity. This policy applies to admissions, employment, and access to and treatment in UPMC programs and activities. This commitment is made by UPMC in accordance with federal, state, and/or local laws and regulations. To Reorder Use Form # MERCY-2312 PATEX410420 12/13 2013 UPMC