The Medical/Surgical/Telemetry/Special Care Unit at Winneshiek Medical Center is where you receive your care if you are admitted to the hospital. Nurses on this unit provide four different levels of  care to medical and surgical patients of all ages.

Acute Care ~ Acute Care is considered inpatient care. Patients are placed in acute care when there is need for hospital care generally for more than 24 hours. Patients are also placed in acute care when the intensity of services warrants inpatient care, for example care given to a chest pain patient. During acute care, the patient's condition is changing and there is a need for changes in the treatment on at least a daily basis. Often the treatment changes several times a day. Frequent monitoring is required and the physician sees the patient at least daily. IV medication and/or fluids, and frequent tests are generally needed when a patient requires acute care.

Same Day Care ~ Same Day Services is considered out patient care. It is often thought of as a place in the hospital (the Same Day Services area), but is a level of care as well. Services rendered there are:

• A surgery that is expected to be kept in the hospital less than 24 hours.
• Some patients start in Same Day Services area (SDS) and are discharged to home from this area after surgery. Others start in SDS but are kept on the Medical Surgery Unit all night. This does not change their level of care status as they are discharged within 24 hours.
• IV infusions (chemotherapy, fluids, and medications) are given and the patient is discharged back home.
• Patients having surgery and who will be admitted to acute care after surgery, start in the SDS area but are admitted to acute care after surgery.

Skilled Care ~ This level of care is utilized when the patient's condition is stable and the plan of care has been established. An example of this level is after surgery when the patient needs physical therapy so the patient may return to independent living. This level of care is also utilized when a patient requires IV medication several times a day. For the Medicare patient, there must be three days of acute care within the preceding 90 days to qualify for this level of care. Private insurances often must give prior approval for this level of care and not all insurances cover skilled care. The physician may not see the patient for up to seven days. Nurses keep physicians informed of the patient's condition in between visits.

Observation ~ Observation care is considered out patient care. It is used to hospitalize a patient for up to 24 hours. Observation care is used when:

• A condition is expected to need hospital care for less than 24 hours or
• It is not clear whether a patient needs hospitalization so monitoring is done to determine if a patient's condition is serious enough to be admitted to acute care.

Monitoring may include, but is not limited to, frequent vital signs, monitoring the effectiveness of medications, monitoring how a patient can perform independent activities such as walking and their level of consciousness. The ability to take food and fluids is also monitored.

Telemetry, a process that monitors the heart, is available to patients on all levels of care according to their needs, and is used on the Special Care Unit.

One of the patient rooms on the Med/Surg unit is designated as a hospice room. The hospice room is available for hospice patients needing hospitalization, and provides comfort to patients and family members with additional seating and bedroom furniture in a home-like atmosphere. Medical care is provided by the nurses on the Med/Surg unit, and hospice care is offered by the hospice nurses.

All nurses on the Med/Surg unit are ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) and PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) certified.

Location: Winneshiek Medical Center's upper level, East wing

Telephone: (563) 387-3151