Patient Guide

We are committed to your care.

Our goal is to provide the best quality care. To do so, we ask for feedback from patients like you. You may be contacted by phone, email or text and asked to complete a confidential survey. Please take the time to complete the survey. Your feedback will help us know what we’re doing well and where we can improve.

Privacy Practices Patient Rights & Responsibilities Concerns About Your Care

Fast facts about your stay.

Support for Caregivers

We encourage patients to pick a key person to support them during their hospital stay. Whether you are that primary support person, or just one of many people caring for and supporting your loved one, you can play an important role in making sure your loved one gets the safest and best care both here and beyond the hospital.

Patient and Family Care
We participate in patient- and family-centered care. We believe that family plays an important role in ensuring the health and well-being of patients of all ages. Our goal is to create partnerships among healthcare practitioners, patients and families that will lead to the best outcomes and enhance the delivery of safe, quality, efficient, effective, and timely care.

What to Know Before You Leave
Caregivers can help ensure the best outcome for their loved one after a hospital stay by getting the answers to these three questions:

What is the next step for medical care (home or facility, follow-up with primary care physician or physical therapy, etc.)? Help your loved one arrange the details to make this happen—financial plan, transportation, scheduling, etc.
What new and former medicines does my loved one need to take? Help your loved one understand the details—timing, dosing instructions, side effects, prescription refills, etc.
What health warning signs do I need to watch for and what do I do if they happen? Help your loved one by writing these symptoms down as well as the name and contact number to call.

If you feel like you need a break or help, reach out to friends and family. And consult the resources listed here: National Alliance for Caregiving | Family Caregiver Alliance | Caregiver Action Network

Facts About Your Stay

ATM

For your convenience, an ATM is located in the lobby of the Emergency Room entrance.

Bedside Shift Report

We want you to feel comfortable and cared for throughout your stay, so at each nursing shift change—about every 12 hours—your nurse will introduce your new nurse to you. The team will talk about your progress, medicine and tests scheduled for the day. Ask questions. The more you’re involved, the better and safer your care.

Bedside Technology

During your stay, you may see your doctors and nurses using computers or tablets. These tools help them care for you by providing around-the-clock monitoring, a variety of resources and quick communication with the rest of your healthcare team. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or nurse.

Cafeteria

Hours:

Breakfast: 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Monday - Friday

Lunch: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Sunday - Friday

All visitors are welcome to dine in the cafeteria.

Calling Your Nurse

Your room is connected to the nursing station via an intercom system. To call for your nurse, press the NURSE call button located at your bedside. If you have any questions on how to use the call button, ask a staff member to show you.

Cellphones & Video

During your stay, you may see members of your care team using mobile phones. At Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Pulaski, our staff are permitted to use phones for work-related activities, such as communicating with doctors or other care team members. Employees are not allowed to use phones for non-work-related activities. There are many work related benefits of cellphones and other communication devices, including access to medical references, clinical tools and patient information.

Concerns About Your Care

Please speak with your nurse or nursing supervisor if you have any questions or concerns about your care. If your issue still is not resolved, then contact the hospital patient advocate. You also have the right to file your complaint with either:

The Tennessee Department of Public Health
Department of Health Division of Health Care Facilities
665 Mainstream Drive, Second Floor
Nashville, TN, US 37243
1-877-287-0010

Office of Quality and Patient Safety
The Joint Commission
One Renaissance Blvd.
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Website: www.jointcommission.org, then click “Report patient safety event”

Sometimes a healthcare choice can involve an ethical concern—such as a wish to refuse life-saving treatment or a disagreement over advance directives. Our medical ethics committee can help you and those who are here to support you make difficult decisions. For help, contact the QRM Director at 931-363-9307.

Electrical Appliances

For your safety, we reserve the right to inspect any electrical appliances brought into the hospital.

Fire Safety

We conduct fire drills from time to time. If you hear an alarm, stay where you are. In an actual emergency, hospital staff will tell you what to do.

Flowers

Flowers may be delivered to patient rooms by individual florists. Please note that flowers are not allowed in Intensive Care Units.

Hearing Impaired

We have services available for people who are deaf or hearing impaired. If you need these services, please contact your nurse.

Hourly Rounding

A nurse will visit you every hour during the day and every two hours at night to check on your comfort, help you change positions in bed, assist with trips to the bathroom, and make sure you can reach your phone, call light, and personal items easily.

Housekeeping Services

Please contact your nurse for info on room cleaning schedule, who to call etc.

Interpreters and Translation Services

Interpreter services are available for patients. Please contact your nurse for assistance.

Mail

Cards sent by your family and friends to make your stay more pleasant will be brought to your room. Mail should be addressed to:

Patient Name, 1265 E. College Street, Pulaski, TN 38478

Mail received after you are discharged is forwarded to the address given during admission. Mail received for confidential patients will be returned to the sender.

Medicines

Please do not bring any prescription or over-the-counter medicines to the hospital. All medicines you take in the hospital need to be prescribed, filled and given to you by hospital staff. Tell your doctor about any medicines you regularly take. If you still need them, hospital staff will give them to you.

Pastoral Care

If you would like a visit from the chaplain for spiritual care and comfort, please ask your nurse to contact the chaplain on call. Your loved ones also may fill out a request card in the chapel. A chaplain will address your concerns by the next business day after receiving the request. The chapel is always open for prayer and meditation. It’s located on the in the hallway, near the entrance near the front lobby area.

Patient Meals

Patients are served breakfast between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., lunch between 11:30 a.m. and noon, and dinner between 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Your meal may be delayed if you are scheduled for a special test or treatment. When possible, you will be served after your exam or test.

Place your order from the cafeteria dining menu and the staff will deliver your meal to your room. To call the cafeteria you can dial 224. Please allow 45 minutes for your order to be delivered. You may pre-order your meals if you want. Just let the person taking your order know.

Personal Belongings and Valuables

Personal care items such as contact lenses, eyeglasses, hearing aids and dentures can be stored in your bedside stand when not in use. Please do not put them on your bed or food tray to help avoid them being lost or damaged. Leave valuables like jewelry or cash at home, or give them to a trusted relative or friend to watch over. If this is not an option, valuables may be locked up by Security at your request. STRHS Pulaski cannot be responsible for replacing personal belongings.

Public Restrooms

For everyone’s health and safety, we ask visitors not to use patient restrooms. Public restrooms are located throughout the hospital. Ask hospital staff to direct you to the nearest one.

Rapid Response Team

You can call a critical-care response team to respond if your condition worsens and you do not get the immediate care you need. Dial 311 to request this special service. Ask a staff member to learn more.

Smoking

Given the serious health hazards of tobacco use, we have chosen to become a 100 percent tobacco-free campus. No smoking or tobacco products will be used while on STRHS Pulaski property, parking lots, associated buildings and vehicles. Patients and visitors are asked not to smoke during their hospital visit.

If You Smoke or Use Tobacco
While you are in the hospital, please do not suffer from nicotine withdrawal. You can receive nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or other appropriate support during your hospital visit. Please ask your nurse for more information.

Telephone

All patient rooms have phones. To dial local, dial 9, wait for the dial tone and dial the number. To dial long distance, dial 9, then 0 for an outside operator to charge the call to a home number.

TV

Each patient room has a television. Please be considerate of others by keeping the volume down and turning off your TV at bedtime. TVs are controlled by the bedside pillow speaker or side rail controls. Closed captioning is available for the hearing impaired. Ask a staff member if you have any questions on using your TV.

Vending Machines

Here you can find beverages and snacks 24 hours a day. Located in our emergency room lobby.

Visiting Hours

Visiting hours are subject to change. Please ask your nurse for official hours during your stay.

To promote healing and safety and limit infection, some units may limit the number of visitors you can receive at one time.

General Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Note: Patients have the right to choose to receive visitors from among family, friends or other individuals at any time during their stay.

Visiting Overnight
Overnight visitation with a patient must be coordinated with the charge nurse and/or nurse manager and is only permitted under certain circumstances. If overnight visitation has been approved, you will be given a visitor card by the nurse, who will provide you with instructions for obtaining a visitor pass from the security guard. Please wear this badge and remain in the waiting room or the patient’s room at all times during your overnight visit. We reserve the right to revoke overnight privileges.

Wifi

Free wi-fi is provided to our patients, families, and visitors. You connect any of your wi-fi enabled devices to our guest network and stay in touch with your family and friends during your stay.