Etiquette to be observed at the hospital.

Hi all.
I've finished proofreading the theses 2 days ago. Still haven't got paid though.
Hopefully they'll pay me today since I need that money to repair my car.

I'm currently kind of stuck on what to blog about since I've been incognito for the last 2 weeks.
I did bring home (to my parents house) my lappy but the broadband coverage was crappy & I couldn't log-in.
Then, after we've come back here to Bagan Serai, I started doing the proofreading project & couldn't find the time to blog. Today, I just don't know what to blog, even though I no longer have any other projects to do.

But I do remember wanting to write down my piece of mind regarding hospital etiquette that everyone should observe. 6 days with Shahrin at the ward with all the other hospital visitors really opened my eyes about 'being considerate' and 'thinking of others'.

Elevator rules.
The new-ish Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah has a 7-floor building used as wards. Shahrin was placed on the 4th floor in the surgical ward, for women and children. They do have 2 special rooms for children in that ward but they were full, so we had to stay with the ladies instead. Anyway, while doing the day-shift, I did find myself having to use the elevator a few times a day, to get to the cafeteria or the convenience store located on the ground floor. There are 4 elevators which are mostly empty except for during visiting hours. Here's a few rules I think should be posted on the elevator doors for 'visiting hours only':

1- Wait for your turn.
During visiting hours; 12.30 - 2.00pm and 4.30 - 7.30pm, the number of elevator users surge exponentially. The closer to the end of visiting hours, the more people come to visit loved ones at the numerous wards. They all think that they deserve to get into the elevators first and the moment the doors open, everybody would rush forward, slamming into those who are trying to get out of the elevators. Please wait for your turns! It's like watching primary students rushing to get onto the school bus. Sheesh people. Couldn't you wait 30 seconds till everyone who are trying to get off, have gotten off? Don't make me suggest to the management to post a sign saying: PLEASE Q UP!

2- Be considerate.
When you see that the elevator is already crammed with people, Please wait for another elevator! No matter how crowded the elevator already is, there are still individuals who would inconsiderately push their way into the already-full-to-near-capacity elevator. I mean, things can get really awkward in that situation, especially when everyone has been sweating a lot.

3- Think before getting on.
There are indicator lights above the elevator doors, telling its passengers where the elevator is headed for. If you are going down, Don't ride on the elevator that's going up! People think that just because the elevators are there, they (the people) can just ride them up and down, as many times as they like. They are not thinking about the other visitors who are waiting to get on and visit their relatives/loved ones/friends in that hospital wards too.


Ward rules.
There are sections in a particular ward (at least the 2 wards that we went to) and usually 4-5 beds are placed in each section. For the convenience of the patients and visitors alike, a toilet and a bathroom are located nearby. Unlike the old hospitals where for the whole ward, the toilets are placed at the end of the long hallway and patients have to waddle/walk (depending on the type of injuries) slowly in order to use it. There are also curtains hanging from the ceiling for those moments of privacy for the patients.Observe these rules, please:

1- Flush it!

I hate it when people just leave the toilet without flushing. I mean, all you have to do is Press the flush button! (or pull the pump or whatever necessary to flush the toilet) & it will be clean for the next user. But for some people, flushing a toilet is far beneath their capabilities and why bother doing it when there is somebody else who's going to do it for you.

2- Clean it up.
When visitors flock to see the patients, most of them would bring home-made foods along. It's like having a picnic while visiting a patient. For the industrious individuals, they would wash their dishes at the sink in the toilets provided after they have finished their meal. Unfortunately, many of them would just rinse all the leftovers into the sink and leave it full of filth after they are done. Clean up after yourselves, people!

3- Use of garbage bins.
All around the wards are strategically placed bins for different 'garbage/trash'. When a patient is admitted into a ward, a nurse would inform the patient and the person who is going to take care of him/her of the rules to be obeyed while in the ward. One of the rules is the different use of different bins; yellow bin is specially reserved for biological waste i.e. bloodied cotton swabs, diapers, gloves, wipes. The other bin can be used to throw other types of ordinary waste. However, most visitor just ignore the sign showing exactly what can and cannot be placed into the yellow bin. To them, a garbage bin IS a garbage bin, regardless of its color.    

4- Observing the drawn curtain policy. 
When a patient needs a little privacy or when a doctor needs to exam him/her, the caregiver/person waiting on them/nurse can draw the curtain, offering a little private space to do whatever it is that needs to be done behind drawn curtains. However, there are some visitors who do not respect this policy. Though they came to visit somebody else, they sometimes wander around and mingle with the other visitors. The mingling somehow gave them the justification to ignore the fact that some patients do not want to be disturb, thus the drawn curtains. To them, every patient are open for discussions or should be looked into because, you know, it might be interesting. Please, next time you visit someone at the hospital, do not rudely poke your head into a section with drawn curtains.

Well, that's all I need to write about hospital etiquette or what I feel visitors should observe while visiting a patient. All of the above are just common curtsey, things that people should/shouldn't do if they really pay attention to their surroundings. These etiquette are not to burden anybody, just to ease everybody's business.