After joint replacement surgery, one of the most common calls our nurse navigator made was to a patient who hadn't filled their blood thinner prescription. They felt fine. That's the problem. Here's what you need to understand about your medications before you leave the hospital.

If you've ever walked out of a doctor's appointment feeling like you still didn't get the answers you came for, you're not alone, and you're not imagining it. Here's what to say in that room so you and your family don't leave without what you actually need.

Surgery gets all the attention, but the hour that follows — the recovery room — is where your nurses are doing some of the most careful monitoring of your entire hospital stay. Here's what that time looks and feels like, so you and your family can go into surgery with the full picture.

Most people don't expect to be introduced to a doctor they've never met when a loved one is admitted to the hospital. A hospitalist manages your care during your stay — and understanding how that handoff works can help you make sure nothing falls through the cracks when you go home.

Medication confusion after a hospital stay is one of the most common reasons patients end up back in the hospital within 30 days. Three questions asked before you walk out the door can change that outcome.

Most families don't think about going home until someone says it's time. A nurse with 34 years of experience explains why that's almost always too late — and how one question asked on day one can change everything.

Everyday, in every hospital, there is moment that feels like everything "shifts." Patients and their families even feel ignored or forgotten about. A nurse with 34 years of experience explains what's actually going on during shift change — and what your family can do to make it work for you.