Radioiodine Therapy Charter Quality Service Charter

 

Contents

Who we are

Before your stay in our hospital

Your stay in our hospital

Visitors

Our role

Your role as a patient

When you leave our hospital

If you are not satisfied with our care

We need your feedback!

 

Who we are

The Radioiodine Therapy Section is situated at Sir Paul Boffa Hospital. Our team consists of a doctor, a physicist and nursing staff. Since radioiodine is administered on an in-patient basis, we will be responsible for taking care of you during your stay at our hospital and providing you with all your medical needs.

You can get more detailed information on this treatment by reading carefully the information leaflets that we will give you.

Before your stay in our hospital

When you are given your appointment, we will send you all the information relevant to your treatment by post. One week before you are scheduled to enter our hospital, we will also have an introductory meeting with you to discuss the treatment and to resolve any doubts that you may still have. You will meet all the staff that will be caring for you during your stay. We will also give you information leaflets and a Charter that are published both in Maltese and in English.

Your stay in our hospital

Your stay in our hospital will probably last between three to six days. The reason for your stay in hospital is mainly to allow the level of radioactivity in your body to fall down. To minimise the spread of radioiodine that is used for your treatment, you will be cared for in a single room. We will do our best to make your room as comfortable as possible. The facilities with which this room is provided include:

  • ensuite bathroom
  • cable television service
  • personal telephone with a direct line
  • air-conditioning.

We will be in contact with you for 24 hours a day using various means such as a:

  • camera
  • buzzer
  • telephone.

Since we aim to reduce the spread of iodine, we encourage you to use these means of communication rather than calling us if your problem is not urgent.

We will take special care of your diet by providing you with three meals a day that will be prepared according to your medical needs. Moreover, you will be supplied with coffee, milk, bread, butter and a toaster inside the suite fir your benefit. To minimise the spread of radioiodine, we will serve these meals on disposable plates and cups and we will ask you to use disposable cutlery.

We will also supply you with other disposable items such as:

 

  • nightwear and towels
  • underpants
  • slippers and overshoes.

Once used, please discard these items into the bin marked for this purpose. During your stay, your health will be our primary concern. For this reason, we will prescribe you any medicine for your treatment and the level of radioactivity is checked frequently by the Physicist.

 

Visitors

During your stay in our hospital you can have visitors, but these should carefully follow our instructions to prevent the spread of radioiodine. Please remember that these visitors will not be allowed to enter your room and there can be no form of interaction between you. It is important to note that children under 18 years of age and pregnant women should not visit you.

 

Our role

During all times, we will:

  • care for you in a clean, safe environment
  • be approachable and give you all the attention that you need
  • be courteous and helpful
  • identify ourselves to you.

 

Your role as a patient

During your stay, you can do a lot to help reduce the hazards involved in the spread of radioiodine and to help us give you quality and efficient care. Please:

  • follow all the instructions that we give you
  • drink more than usual to help flush the radioiodine our of your body
  • take good care of your personal hygiene
  • refrain from having any form of interaction with your visitors
  • limit any personal belongings that you bring form home to the essential. Any belongings will have to remain in hospital after you leave so that we can eliminate their radioiodine content.

 

When you leave our hospital

You will be discharged from our hospital after three to six days. We will keep contact with you and closely follow your treatment. We will give you an Instruction Card that will include the precautions that you will have to follow for a few days after your discharge.

 

If you are not satisfied with our care

If you think that we have failed to maintain our service delivery standards for your treatment and you want to lodge a complaint, please discuss this with the nursing staff during your stay. If you are still not satisfied, you may speak to the Manger Nursing Services or the Physicist.

If you want to pursue the complaint when you have been discharged from our hospital, please write to the:

Manager Nursing Services

Sir Paul Boffa Hospital

Sqaq Harper

Floriana

You will receive an acknowledgement within two working days of receipt and a full answer within ten working days of acknowledgement.

 

We need your feedback

We continuously strive to provide a service that meets your needs and we welcome any comments and suggestions for service improvement. After your discharge we will give you a feedback form. Kindly fill this in and send it at the address below:

 

Manager Nursing Services

Sir Paul Boffa Hospital

Sqaq Harper

Floriana

April 2002

 

 

 

All information is correct at time of going to print. Information is continuously updated on the Charter Support Unit website and on the Malta Health Division website.

 

 

Published by the Charter Support Unit, OPM

http://www.servicecharters.gov.mt

Printed at the Government Press

Photography, DOI