Welcome to the personal page of Dr. Ghaith Ibrahim

Definition:
Being admitted to the hospital means you cannot be safely sent home from the emergency department and need to stay for additional testing and treatment.

I’m in the ED — what’s next?  
Expect to remain in the emergency room for another 1–2 hours until a room and nurse are ready for you on another floor.

More below

1-Generally, your treatment team is comprised of doctors (physicians), non-physician practitioners (NPs, PAs, CNMs), nurses, and medical assistants. If needed, you will also be evaluated and treated by a respiratory therapist or a physical therapist.

2-At least one doctor or practitioner will come speak with you that same day (or night) of your admission and every day thereafter while you are in the hospital.

3-What does a primary attending or primary team mean, and how are they assigned? Based on your illness, we assign each patient a primary team plus specialists if needed. 
Examples
Example 1: A patient admitted for pneumonia will have internal medicine as the primary team. An internist (also called a hospitalist) will be responsible for care until discharge. If needed, the internist will consult a lung specialist.
Example (2): A young patient admitted with inflammation of the appendix or gallbladder will have general surgery as the primary team. A surgeon will perform the operation and be responsible for care until discharge. If needed, the surgeon may consult an internist to manage non-surgical conditions. 

Will they draw more blood when I'm admitted?
Almost always.

Why is so much blood work needed?
In addition to how you are feeling, labs tell us if you are responding to our treatments and if we need to do something different.

At what time  will they draw blood?
At any time as clinically needed, depending on how sick you are — but usually once in the emergency department, then again early each morning (around 4–6 AM) while you are in the hospital. 

 It depends. The goal is to safely discharge you home when you are doing better.

Tip: Ask your admitting doctor how long they expect your stay to be. They can give you a ballpark, but it depends on your condition and how long your body takes to respond. Hospital stays typically range from hours to days. The national average length of stay is about 5.5 days.

What are the goals to discharge ?
1-You feeling  better.
2- You can physically manage like you did before coming to the hospital.
3- You have any equipment you need — some patients may need oxygen or a walker.
4-If you’re too weak to go home, we’ll arrange for rehab or a nursing facility.

1-Help the team help you. Hospital stays focus on urgent problems. Be precise so they can pinpoint the issue. If you have a long-standing condition managed by your clinic doctor, it’s fine to mention it for context, but don’t lead them to think that’s why you’re in the hospital today.

2-Ask your doctor and nurse to share the diagnosis and the plan with you.

3-You’ll forget some questions. Better to write them down so you’re ready when your doctor comes in.

4-Don't feel shy or embarrassed to ask more questions or to ask for help.

5-involve family members who take care of you to be part of the conversation. 

1-Bright lights.
Fix: Ask your nurse to dim the lights for you.

2-Cold rooms. Trust me, we all feel cold here, not just you.
Fix: We provide free blankets and can turn up the heat for you.

3-Interrupted sleep. Your care team will come in repeatedly at all hours of the day and night, so be prepared.
Fix: Sleep every chance you get. 

1-Bring a phone charger. For some reason most hospitals don't provide them.

2-Bring something cozy from home, like a blanket or a framed photo, to make your room feel less sterile.

3-Bring your iPad, a book, or something else to help pass the time.

4-Share a joke with staff — humor really does make everything better.