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Intensive Care and Intermediate Care Unit Contact

You can inquire about the wellbeing of your loved one by telephone around the clock.

The telephone number for the unit is (06) 213 8001.

We only provide information about a patient to relatives, to others we only provide information with the patient’s consent. We hope that relatives will choose a contact person from among themselves who will handle the communication with the Intensive Care and Intermediate Care Unit. We will give the contact person a direct number to the patient’s caregiver.

Our unit tries to arrange examinations, treatments, procedures and doctor’s visits in the morning and during the day. Please avoid calling between 07:30-10:00, if possible, as we will try to keep things peaceful during treatment.

If necessary, relatives have the opportunity to talk to the doctor in charge of the patient’s care during working hours on weekdays. Discussions are arranged separately through an appointed caregiver. If necessary, the conversation can take place over the phone.

Visits

The time to visit our unit is from 15:00 -19:00.

The presence of relatives is desirable, and we encourage loved ones to visit the patient often, but for short periods at a time (about 15 minutes), as our patients are often very ill and get tired quickly. There can be two or three visitors at a time, and they must not have infectious diseases. We are happy to guide you in hand hygiene and in the use of the necessary protective clothing.

We hope that visiting times will be discussed in advance with the patient’s personal caregiver, so that we will be able to plan the patient’s care better. Visits at other times are possible by special arrangement.

When you come to visit, use the door for relatives. Ring the doorbell. When the door opens, you can sit in the waiting room until called.

Visitor Tips (video in Finnish and Swedish)

During office hours, the secretary will receive you and refer you to the patient. Treatment measures can sometimes delay your visit, but we will fetch you as soon as possible. Please note that sometimes we may need to ask you to leave your loved one during a procedure or if the condition of other patients requires it.

We hope that
  • You disinfect your hands on arrival and departure to prevent the spread of infections. If protective clothing is required, the caregiver will guide you on how to wear it.
  • You don’t visit the ward if you have a runny nose, cough, fever, or are infectious. Our patients are seriously ill and we strive to protect them from further infections.
  • Put your phone on silent during your stay and focus on supporting your loved one. Mobile phones may be used in our ward, but sometimes their use may need to be restricted due to medical equipment.
  • Don’t give your loved one anything to eat or drink without notifying the caregiver. The caregiver constantly monitors the patient’s daily fluid balance and treatment is planned accordingly.
  • Note that we are scent-free unit. This means that extra fragrances are avoided when planning a visit to the hospital. Don’t bring flowers to the unit either because of allergies. Instead, the patient is sure to enjoy magazines, music, photos, or other memorabilia.
  • Agree with a personal caregiver to photograph the patient. In general, photography is prohibited in the unit for privacy reasons.
  • Ask us any questions you may have. We are here for you too.

A relative’s own coping

You have the opportunity to dine at the hospital and stay at the Vilma patient hotel, which is close to the hospital. There is also a shop in the vicinity of the hospital. For parents of a paediatric patient, we try to arrange for them to have as many opportunities as possible with their child.

If you wish, you can talk to a hospital priest, a social worker, a psychologist or a patient ombudsman.

Ask the staff for more information.

Intensive care consists of the monitoring and treatment of severe vital organ failure caused by illness or accident. Organ failure may refer to respiratory, blood circulation, or fluid balance disturbances. It may be monitored, supported, or treated with e.g. a ventilator, dialysis, or special medication.

Patients in need of intensified monitoring have experienced a rapid deterioration of health and require continuous monitoring of their heart rhythm, intensified medication, or mechanical ventilation for breathing.

The ward has 13 hospital beds, divided into single and double rooms. All hospital beds are equally equipped. The ward also contains an isolation room enabling negative or positive pressure isolation.

The ward staff consists of three doctors, 47 nurses, two practical nurses, two secretaries, and four ward domestics. The staff works closely with doctors from other special fields, physiotherapists, speech therapists, cardiac nurses, and on-call psychiatric nurses.

The patient is designated a personal caregiver for each shift. Our staff also provides good preventive and palliative care. Intensive care is carried out by qualified professionals with the help of modern medical technology and multiprofessional collaboration.

The average treatment time is short, usually only a couple of days, but it can also vary from a few hours to several months.

The average treatment time is short, usually only a couple of days, but it can also vary from a few hours to several months.

Depending on the patient’s condition after intensive care and monitoring, his or her treatment shall continue at a specialized health care recovery ward, university hospital, primary health care recovery ward, other health facility, or the patient’s own home.

The post-intensive care convalescence period is long and often involves physical, psychological, and social challenges. General weakness and tiredness are the most common physical problems faced by patients after intensive care. Psychological problems are largely caused by the fact that patients often do not remember anything of their time in intensive care.

We Keep a Diary for the Patien

We keep a diary for a patient who requires intensive care for longer than three days. The contents of the diary focuses on the patient.

Diary entries are written daily concerning the patient’s wellbeing and the progress of treatment. Possible setbacks are also recorded in the diary. The diary describes the patient’s care environment, various assistive devices such as ventilators, dialysis machines, drop counters, and all other equipment necessary for the patient’s care. The staff uses everyday language and avoids medical terminology. Photographs may also be included in the diary to give the patient a better understanding of his or her time in the ward.

The diary is personal and accompanies the patient in a sealed envelope to the next ward. If the patient has questions or thoughts about the diary, he or she may contact the intensive care and monitoring ward. The diary contains the head nurse’s phone number.

Contact information

Office 06 213 8001

Head nurse Anna Cederholm, tel. 040-183 6698

Assistant Head Nurse Catharina Alanko 06 213 4451

Assistant Chief Physician Leena Huhti 06 213 6604

Assistant Chief Physician Raku Hautamäki 06 213 5418

Unit Manager Anna Cederholm 040 183 6698

Chief Physician Simo-Pekka Koivisto 06 213 1440

Emails in the format: firstname.lastname@ovph.fi

Contact information

Location F0

Phone 06 213 8001

Fax 06 213 1448

Visiting time from 15:00-19:00, other times agreed separately.