About Your Stay
Visiting Hours and Policies
During your stay, additional visitor policies may be in place that are not listed on this page. See the latest policies or ask your nurse.
Visiting hours
UC Davis Medical Center has a 24-hour visitation policy.
We understand your desire to have family and friends visit, and it is also important that we have an environment that supports healing and rest.
There may be times when visitation may need to be limited, such as:
- When you are having certain procedures
- When a visit interferes with your care, or the care of the other patient in a shared room
- When a visitor is causing trouble
- When there are too many visitors in your room
- When there is a chance that you could pick up an infection from a visitor
- When a visitor could get an infection from you
- When you or your roommate needs privacy or rest
If visitors must be limited, they can wait in the nearest family/guest lounge and take turns visiting. Visitors may also be asked to wait in the lounge when care is being provided to you. or to your roommate.
Visitors must obtain badges during normal visiting hours, which are generally 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
After hours, temporary badges are provided by our security team. Obtain them at:
- the ER lobby
- the hospital lobby information desk
You may wish to stay at your loved one’s bedside during the night. Please let your nurse know, and we will work to accommodate your request.
We support overnight visitation when appropriate, such as when your loved one:
- has a physician order for comfort care
- requires translation help
- is confused
- is a child
Generally, one adult may spend the night, after consideration of the patient’s condition (and the condition of the other patient when in two-bed rooms).
For questions or additional information about our visitor policy (Policy 2878), please ask a nurse or staff member. Or review any additional visitor materials included in your patient folder.
Service animals are generally permitted. Visits by pets — which are considered all animals other than service animals — are permitted in some instances. Specific requirements apply to both. For information or questions, please ask our staff.
There are many types of germs, and they spread in different ways. Some spread more easily than others. Isolation precautions are used for some patients to make sure that germs do not spread from person to person.
During isolation precautions the techniques we use will be determined by the type required to keep everyone safe. Nurses will explain the isolation procedures. We will use one or more techniques, such as:
- contact precautions
- droplet precautions
- airborne precautions.
For example, you and your visitors may be asked to wear masks or gloves at certain times. Or you may be asked to clean your hands at certain times. Roommates may or may not be allowed in your room.
If there is an isolation patient in the same room with you and your family, you will be safe. Isolation procedures have been proven effective in preventing the spread of germs from one patient to another, and have been used in hospitals for many years.
UC Davis Medical Center places a high priority on safety, and families and visitors reluctant to use our isolation procedures will be asked to leave. If you have questions, please ask your nurse or health care provider.
Assistance During Your Hospital Stay
We are committed to providing safe, high-quality care.
We encourage patients to “speak up” anytime with questions and concerns.
If you have any questions, concerns or special requests while in the hospital, we encourage you to speak with:
- your nurse
- other members of your health care team, or
- the manager of the unit where you are staying
Learn more tips about communicating with your providers
If you need additional assistance, two other options are:
- The Code Help hotline, a special phone number for urgent matters. The welcome booklet you received upon admission to the hospital contains Code Help information.
- The staff in our Patient Relations Department, here to serve as liaisons between our patients, families, and their health care providers.