 Health Care Services Hospitals & Facilities Health Information Find a Doctor Why Choose Baptist |
Inpatient Units
 |
|
|
Baptist Memphis
Quick Links |
|
Cancer Services
|
|
Health Tip
Regular physical activity prevents or delays the development of high blood pressure, and exercise reduces blood pressure in people with hypertension. Daily Bread
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:14 |
|
Medical Oncology Unit Medical oncology nurses play a pivotal role in the quality of life for cancer patients throughout the treatment process. The nurses in the medical oncology unit are specially trained in several areas, from delivering advanced treatments to pain management, nutritional needs, symptom management and cancer-related emergencies. The unit treats patients with all types of cancer, including lung, breast, uterine, ovarian, cervical, liver, pancreas, multiple myeloma, melanoma, leukemia and solid tumors. The nursing team is responsible for administering chemotherapy to patients throughout the hospital. Patient and family education is an important part of the nurses’ daily routines. Nurses teach a variety of subjects that include nutrition, skin care, mouth care, signs and symptoms of infections, how to talk to your doctor, available treatments and many others. They often assist patients and families in finding information from the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute and on the Internet. The nursing staff also serves as a resource for other patient care areas related to cancer and its treatment, chemotherapy and devices used to administer chemotherapy. Medical oncology nurses also help patients and their families cope with their disease. The team works closely with social workers, case managers, dietitians and chaplains to meet patients’ needs. Surgical Oncology Unit The surgical oncology unit is one of the newest parts of Baptist Memphis’ cancer services. A number of oncology surgeons expressed the need for a specific unit to meet the special problems patients face after cancer surgery. The surgical oncology unit meets this challenge every day. The nurses are all specially trained in providing cancer care including chemotherapy medications, disease process teaching, emotional support and postoperative assessment and care. For patients, the postoperative period is an uncertain, sometimes frightening time especially if they are facing body image changes or a brand-new cancer diagnosis. The nurses provide for patients’ quickly changing health status and assist patients and families in adjusting to that phase of the disease. A treatment room is available for special procedures that a physician would have a difficult time completing in patients’ rooms. It is also more convenient than scheduling the test in another department. A nourishment room is located on the unit for visitors and family members. Beverages and snacks are supplied in the room, and it also has space where families can keep food brought from home. Myelosuppression Unit The myelosuppression unit is a specialized oncology unit for high-risk patients, especially those patients who are undergoing high-dose chemotherapy for leukemia, lymphoma or multiple myeloma. Many stem cell transplant patients also stay there after their procedures. Many features of the myelosuppression unit protect patients from infection. Each room has positive pressure airflow to help ensure no bacteria from the hallway enter the patient room. Five sinks in the halls have electronic controls to prevent the spread of bacteria associated with handling the water controls. Specialized diets including bottled water help prevent patients from ingesting bacteria. Rules about handwashing, visitation, mouth care and ongoing care are strictly enforced for the patients’ protection.  Clinical Support Services Enterstomal Therapy The enterstomal therapist cares for patients with:
Staff provides patients and their families with education in the above areas as needed, as well as a phone number to call for questions. The team can assist patients on an outpatient basis if necessary. Pharmacy Services The goal of pharmacy services is to provide optimal drug therapy for all patients and to help ensure high-quality, cost-effective care. The following services are provided:
Palliative Care Baptist Memphis offers one of the nation’s few hospital-based palliative care programs for terminally ill patients. Palliative care is a new medical and nursing specialty devoted to relieving pain and suffering by providing physical, psychological and spiritual comfort to patients who have complex or challenging problems associated with a serious illness. Palliative treatment eases the physical and emotional distress associated with the disease. Any acutely ill patient may be a candidate for palliative care when the focus of the care turns from cure to comfort. Cancer Navigator In 2002, Baptist Memphis became the first hospital in the Mid-South to offer a nurse navigator for cancer patients — giving patients the personalized support and information they need from diagnosis to follow-up care. A nurse navigator in this program is an experienced nurse specializing in cancer, who guides a patient through the cancer journey by doing the following:
Baptist Trinity Home Care & Hospice Baptist Trinity Home Care Baptist Trinity Home Care provides compassionate, quality services by skilled professionals under the direction of a patient’s physician. Medicare, TennCare, private insurance or private pay are accepted for these services. Newly diagnosed patients, patients with cancer-related emergencies who require skilled observation and assessment and patients in the advanced stages of cancer who do not choose hospice often need home care services. Skilled Nursing Services include teaching and training activities regarding:
Observation and assessment of:
Nursing skills
Therapy services include strengthening, training to normalize walking patterns, helping to move patients from one area to another and caregiver education regarding positioning bed-bound patients, how to move patients from one area to another and performing activities of daily living. Baptist Trinity Home Care & Hospice offers a bridge program to transfer terminally ill patients from the home health agency to hospice care. Coordinating the transition from restorative care to palliative care provides the appropriate use of interdisciplinary resources to meet the needs of terminally ill patients. Baptist Trinity Hospice Baptist Trinity Hospice believes human life is to be honored. We recognize there may come a time when you and your family must make difficult health care decisions. By choosing hospice care, you have made the courageous decision to no longer seek curative care for your illness. Hospice will offer you an alternative to curative care by aggressively treating pain and symptoms associated with terminal illness. It is our obligation to ensure the highest quality of life possible for you and your loved ones. The interdisciplinary team is guided by a patient's attending physician and our medical director to ensure a palliative care regimen and plan of care. The team comprises a medical director, registered nurse, social worker, certified nursing assistant, bereavement counselor, chaplain and volunteer coordinator. Our goal is to maintain a supportive care environment for terminally ill patients in their homes—where they can spend their last days surrounded by family and friends. An active volunteer program exists at Baptist Trinity Hospice. Volunteers greatly enhance the terminal care environment by providing companionship, running errands, writing letters and doing a variety of things, including making calls offering support, just to name a few. Additionally, during a patient's active terminal care, our team members are trained to anticipate grief needs. Bereavement care and grief support continue after the patient's death for a minimum of one year for family and friends. Support Services Social Work Services A social worker is available on the oncology units to assist patients and families with discharge planning. Assessments will be made for home health, hospice, assisted living, nursing home placement, retirement living, medical equipment, outpatient treatments and transportation. The social worker is also available for counseling regarding adjustment to the disease process and life changes, end-of-life issues, living wills and durable power of attorney and disability, or social security and employment. The social worker also addresses financial concerns and can refer patients to appropriate community agencies. Physicians, staff members, patients and families can make referrals to social work services. Hospital Chaplains Spiritual and emotional needs of patients, their families and hospital staff are addressed by the department of Pastoral Care at Baptist. The department's chaplains serve the Baptist Memorial hospitals in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas, and interact with 230 volunteer chaplains in the Baptist system. When life-threatening medical emergencies, deaths and other crises occur, the chaplains respond to offer comfort and spiritual and emotional counsel. Chaplains facilitate numerous support groups for patients, families and staff. They conduct Sunday morning worship services at Baptist Memphis. These worship services are seen over closed-circuit television. Literature such as daily devotions, prayer books, grief books and children's books are provided by the department.  Top of Page |
|
| Home | Health Care Services | Hospitals & Facilities | Health Information | Find a Doctor | Why Choose Baptist |
| ©2008 Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer. Notice of Privacy Practices. | |
 |
In keeping with the three-fold ministry of Christ - preaching, teaching and healing - Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation will be the leader in providing quality health care. |