Call (206) 219-5306 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Call (206) 219-5306 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

A Checklist for Safe and Successful Inpatient Hospital Stays

Posted by Nate Root, July 3, 2018

No one exactly enjoys a stay in the hospital, whether for surgery or some other treatment, but at least you know you’ll be in the most capable hands. Soon the ordeal will be over, and you will be back in your comfortable home. In the meantime, a little planning for your hospital stay can go a long way toward a safer and more successful visit. Use this checklist to plan, while following your doctor’s instructions precisely.

Recruit help. Plan for someone to drive you to and from the hospital, and to stay with you for a few days after you get home. This can be one person or several helpers.

Stay in touch with your doctor. Ask about your regular medications, and whether they need to be adjusted before your procedure. If you develop a rash, fever, or illness, notify your doctor immediately.

Don’t eat or drink. You will be instructed to abstain from eating or drinking, for a specific time period before your procedure. Following these instructions can protect you from complications.

Prepare. You will probably want to bathe before leaving for the hospital. At this time, remove all makeup and nail polish. Wear loose, comfortable clothing, and take out contact lenses if you wear them. Place your contact lenses in a case labeled with your name.

Pack. Pack medications if your doctor has instructed you to bring them. Remember to bring items necessary to your daily functioning, like glasses, contact lenses, or hearing aids. You can also pack comfort items, such as a robe, slippers, and reading materials. Remember your insurance cards!

Don’t bother packing these items. Don’t wear jewelry, or bring credit cards or large amounts of cash. These items can easily be lost in the hospital. If you smoke, don’t bother bringing cigarettes; all hospitals ban smoking, and it will impair your healing process, anyway.

Prepare your Advance Directive. If you haven’t already prepared an Advance Directive with your attorney, take the time to do so. Bring it with you or file with your physician (and the hospital) ahead of your procedure date.

Checking into the hospital for a surgery or treatment can be stressful, but remember: You’re in capable, well-trained hands. Follow all of your doctor’s instructions carefully, and soon your hospital stay will be a distant memory.

Need more information?

Contact us online to learn more

Contact Us

Close Accessibility Tools
Accessibility Controls Reset
Content Adjustments
Font Size

Default

Line Height

Default

Content Scaling

Default

Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Highlight Forms
Align Left
Align Center
Align Right
Focus Mode
Color Adjustments
Desaturate
Monochrome
Contrast

Default

Saturation

Default

Accessibility Statement

Despite our attempts to make this website accessible for everyone, there may still be some pages or sections that are not completely accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or do not have a suitable technological solution to make them accessible. Nevertheless, we are always striving to enhance our accessibility by adding, updating, improving its options and features, and incorporating new technologies.

We want to provide our users with the best experience possible, so we strive to support as many browsers and assistive technologies as possible.

If you wish to contact this website's owner, please use the contact form on the website.

Our User Interface Adjustment Options

Font adjustments - With this tool, users can modify font size, style, letter spacing, and line height for improved alignment and readability.

Color adjustments - Users can customize their color contrast profiles to light, dark, desaturated, and monochrome.

Content highlighting - Users can prioritize key elements such as links, forms, and titles.

Content focus - Users can enable focus mode to highlight the current page information based on their mouse movement.

Close