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Choosing a Family Spokesperson

Getting Updates

We know that having a loved one in the hospital can be very stressful. Talking with the health care team helps reduce some of the stress. Your nurse will inform you about any changes as well. Updates are shared at different times during the day. Here are some of the ways we will update you about your loved one:

  • Hourly Rounds
  • Bedside Nursing Report
  • Nursing Updates
  • Physician Updates
  • Care Management Updates

We want to give you the most current update on your loved one. To do this, we ask you not to call during shift change. The times for shift change are 7:00 am to 8:00 am and 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Choosing a Family Spokesperson

We will ask you or your loved one to choose a family spokesperson. This person is often a family member. They can also be a trusted friend. Phone calls take nurses away from caring for patients. We ask phone calls for updates are made by the family spokesperson.

This spokesperson will share reports between the health care team and the family.

We encourage making the spokesperson the same person as the durable power of attorney. This person should be a good listener. Their job will be to ask the questions for the rest of the family.

It is helpful to write down:

  • the questions you will be asking
  • the answers you are given
  • changes the staff want you to know about

This makes it easier to be sure everyone is getting the same report.

Please tell the patient's nurse the name of the spokesperson. If your family is having trouble picking a person, please notify the patient’s nurse.

Helpful Documents & Information

Contact List / Authorization to Verbally Release Protected Health Information