Information for the person accompanying the A&E patient

Initial attention

Once the patient has been told they are going to be seen by medical staff, the hospital will probably call the accompanying person to ask for more information that can help diagnose the patient.   It is important to provide the administrative staff on each ward with contact details. 
Once the medical team has assessed the patient, the companion will receive information on the presumptive diagnosis and the diagnostic tests that will be requested for the patient. When the healthcare team receives the results of the tests, the companion will be informed of the patient’s final diagnosis and destination, which may be:

• Discharged home. A discharge report is provided with the diagnosis, the treatment recommendations and the general measures that should be followed at home, as well as the warning signs that the patient must look out for. 
• Observation in the Accident and Emergency Department. For a maximum of 24 hours.
• Hospital admission. Depending on the availability of hospital beds and the severity and / or complexity of the patient’s condition, they are admitted to the Hospital Clínic or to one of the healthcare units such as the: the Hospital Plató, Hospital Sagrat Cor, Clínica Sant Antoni, Parc Sanitari Pere Virgili, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu de Barcelona, Numància Salut Mental, hospital at home.

Observation in the Accident and Emergency Department

The patient can be transferred to the observation area, in the Helios Building, or else remain in observation in the Level 2 area or in the resuscitation bed.

In the Helios Building:

• The patient’s response to the treatment administered is assessed for several hours in order to decide whether they can be discharged and sent home or need to be admitted as an inpatient.
• The doctors will carry out additional diagnostic tests on the patient outside the Accident and Emergency Department (ultrasound scan, computerized tomography scan, etc.).
• Area in which the patient has to wait until an on-call specialist (not an A&E specialist) visits them.
• Area in which to wait until the doctor and the service that admitted the patient have a hospital bed available for their transfer.

In Level 2 and the resuscitation bed, the previous actions are also carried out, but during their stay in hospital the patient continues to be monitored.

The companion receives information regularly in accordance with the established medical visiting times that they will be told about, and in Level 2 and the resuscitation bed, whenever there is a change in the patient’s condition.

Hospital Clínic Barcelona App - Virtual Accident and Emergency Department

The Hospital Clínic’s ‘Virtual Accident and Emergency Department' makes it possible to monitor the status of the person admitted to hospital from triage to discharge using the patient’s mobile phone, in real time and without disclosing any sensitive information, through the linking of an alphanumeric code with this patient's medical history. 

The virtual Accident and Emergency Department can be found in the global Hospital Clínic Barcelona application, an app that includes the Hospital Clínic’s digital initiatives and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and the App Store.

Hospital admission

When a hospital bed becomes available in the Hospital Clínic, the patient is transferred to the inpatient ward, which may correspond to their admission service or may be a pre-admission ward. 
If they are admitted to a location other than the Hospital Clínic, they are transferred by ambulance, where the patient can be accompanied by one companion. 

General information for the person accompanying the patient

• Identification. The companion will be given an ID card by the administrative staff and must wear it in a visible place to identify themselves.   No children are allowed to enter the Accident and Emergency area. 
• Waiting. It is advisable to remain in the waiting room on the first floor where companions can be contacted via a public address system when necessary. Please avoid waiting in corridors or stairways.
• Space. Space is limited in the observation units, so only one person can accompany each patient. In psychiatric emergencies, visits are allowed depending on the patient’s condition. It is important to respect this.
• Food. The companion must ask the healthcare team (nurses, doctors) if the patient is allowed to eat.  No food should be given to the patient without consulting the medical staff first. The Accident and Emergency Department only has juice and yoghurts, but if the patient remains there for over 12 hours, they will be given hospital meals. During this time, if the patient is allowed to eat, the companion can bring them food.
• Medication. No medication should be given to the patient without consulting the medical team first.

The Accident and Emergency Department is an area that is open 24 hours a day and, therefore, depending on the patient’s condition, decisions can be made about their final destination at any time. If the companion has to leave, it is important that they provide the administrative staff with a contact phone number.

The patient and their companion must look after their own personal items. The Hospital is not liable for the loss of any personal or valuable items.

The public toilets are on the first floor next to the waiting room.

In order to protect privacy, the use of cameras is not allowed in the Accident and Emergency Department.

Vending machines selling snacks and soft drinks are available on the first floor.