Inpatient and Overnight Stays

An overnight or inpatient visit at the hospital can be intimidating. By preparing yourself and your child ahead of time, you will reduce anxiety for both of you.

Origin of Admissions

Your child may be admitted to the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in one of several ways:

• Directly from the Emergency Department (ED).  In this case, admission paperwork happens either at the bedside or at the registration desk in front of the ED.
• Directly from the physicians’ office In this case, you will be directed to go to the Admissions Office.
• Surgical admissions.  For surgical procedures, please refer to the information on pre-surgical visits.

When children are going to be admitted from clinics or physician’s offices, a call will be made to the Welcome Center ahead of time. You and your child will be escorted by personnel from the Welcome Center directly to the inpatient unit (if a bed is ready). An ID band with a security chip in place will be ready for your child once you arrive in the Welcome Center.

Admission Process

During the admission process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• patient’s name
• date of birth
• address
• contact information
• guarantor information (the guarantor is the person responsible for the bills)
• guardianship status, if necessary
• insurance information (always bring your insurance card so a copy can be made)
• accurate primary care physician information

You will also be asked to sign the following documents:

• consent form for treatment
• HIPAA privacy forms
• advanced directive forms (if patient is over 18 years of age)
• discharge release forms (front and back)

General Safety Information

We appreciate your partnership and cooperation with regard to our safety policies. Please review the patient safety brochure in either English or Spanish when you arrive.  Please also review the patient rights and responsibilities document in English or Spanish.

In order to ensure patient safety, two provider badges that say “family provider” are given to parents or guardians. This gives you access to the hospital after hours. It is important that you wear this badge anytime you are inside the hospital. Once your child is on the inpatient unit, he or she will receive a patient ID band with a security chip inside.

If someone else other than the guardian will be picking the child up at the end of the stay, the admissions representative must be notified during the admission process and when the discharge release form is completed.

Visiting hours

• Visiting hours are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• One parent or guardian may stay overnight