How to Survive a Hospital Stay
Hospitals are extremely safe places that are dangerous at the joins — shift handovers, transfers between wards, medication reconciliation, and above all discharge. Most of what goes wrong is information failing to cross a gap.
Which is good news, because a patient or a family member with a notebook can close most of those gaps personally.
The 10-minute version
- Bring a written medication list — every drug, dose and frequency, including supplements. Medication errors on admission are among the commonest hospital harms and this one page prevents most of them.
- Keep a notebook. Who you saw, what they said, what was decided, what happens next. You will not remember, and staff change every shift.
- Discharge is the risk point. Do not leave without written medication instructions, a follow-up appointment, and knowing what warning signs mean come back.
What to pack
Essential:
- The medication list — name, dose, how often, what for. Or bring the actual boxes
- Medicare card, private health card, concession card, ID
- A list of allergies and past reactions
- Advance care directive and details of your enduring guardian, if you have them
- Glasses, hearing aids, dentures — and a labelled container for each. These get lost constantly and their absence makes people appear confused
- Phone and a long charging cable. Hospital power points are never where the bed is
- A notebook and pen
Genuinely useful:
- Earplugs and an eye mask. Wards are loud and never fully dark
- Your own toiletries, and lip balm — air conditioning is brutal
- Non-slip socks or slippers with backs
- Comfortable clothes for daytime; a dressing gown
- A long phone cable, again, because it matters that much
- A little money for the kiosk
- Something to do that does not require concentration
Leave at home: jewellery, large amounts of cash, anything you would grieve losing.
The questions that change your care
Ask these, out loud, and write down the answers.
About treatment:
- What is the working diagnosis, and what else are you considering?
- What is this test for, and what will you do differently depending on the result?
- What are the options, including doing nothing?
- What are the risks and benefits, in numbers if possible?
- What happens if we wait?
About medications:
- What is this, what is it for, and what are the side effects?
- Does it interact with anything I already take?
- Is it replacing something I was on, or in addition?
- How long am I on it?
About the plan:
- What has to happen before I can go home?
- Who is the consultant responsible for my care?
- When are ward rounds? (So a family member can be present.)
The one question that outperforms all the others: “What should I be worried about?” It reliably produces information no other phrasing gets.
Being a good advocate
If you are the family member, this is a real job.
- Be present for ward rounds. Decisions get made there. Ask when they happen and turn up
- Take notes, with names. “Dr Chen, Tuesday morning, said the plan was X” ends a lot of confusion
- Ask for the interpreter if English is not the patient’s first language. It is free and it is their right. Do not interpret for a relative in a clinical conversation
- Repeat back what you heard. “So the plan is X, and if Y happens we do Z?” Catches misunderstandings immediately
- Speak up about changes. “He’s more confused than yesterday” is clinically valuable. New confusion in an older patient often means infection, dehydration or medication — all treatable
- Escalate properly if you are seriously worried. Every Australian public hospital has a rapid-response system a patient or family can activate directly for a deteriorating patient — REACH in NSW, Ryan’s Rule in Queensland, Call for Help in Victoria, and equivalents elsewhere. Ask what it is called and how to trigger it. It exists because families notice deterioration first
- Be pleasant. Nurses are your single most valuable ally and are chronically short of time. Adversarial families get worse information, not better care
Discharge, the dangerous part
More harm occurs in the fortnight after discharge than most people expect. Do not leave without:
- A written medication list, with every change from what you took before explicitly marked — started, stopped, dose changed. Reconcile it against your original list, item by item, before you leave the building.
- A discharge summary going to your GP, and a copy for you. Ask for it; it is not automatic everywhere.
- A follow-up appointment actually booked, not “ring us next week.”
- Written warning signs — what specifically means come back or ring, and who to ring.
- Wound care or equipment instructions in writing, and a demonstration if a dressing is involved.
- Certificates and paperwork — medical certificate for work, insurance forms, carer’s leave documentation.
- A plan for getting home and for the first 48 hours. Who is there, what they can and cannot do, whether stairs are a problem, whether there is food.
- A GP appointment within a week, booked before you leave.
If the discharge feels too early, say so directly and ask for it to be documented. Sometimes it changes; when it does not, you at least have the follow-up arranged.
Costs and cover
- Public hospital as a public patient is free under Medicare, including emergency, surgery and follow-up
- Using private cover in a public hospital is optional. It may get you choice of doctor or a private room, but check what it costs you in excess and whether it affects your waiting time at all — often it does not
- In private hospitals, ask about out-of-pocket costs before admission, including the anaesthetist and any assisting surgeon, who bill separately and are the usual source of surprise bills. Ask for informed financial consent in writing
- Ambulance is not covered by Medicare in most states. Check whether you have ambulance cover — it is inexpensive and the bills are not
- If something goes wrong, every hospital has a patient liaison or consumer advocate service, and every state has a health complaints commissioner
Thresholds
| Situation | The rule |
|---|---|
| Admission | Bring the written medication list. Non-negotiable |
| Any new medication | Ask what, why, side effects, interactions, how long |
| Any test | Ask what it changes about the plan |
| Ward round | Be there. Take notes with names |
| Patient seems to be deteriorating and you’re not heard | Activate the family escalation system — Ryan’s Rule, REACH, or your state’s equivalent |
| New confusion in an older patient | Report it. Often infection or medication |
| Discharge | Written meds, discharge summary, booked follow-up, warning signs. Do not leave without all four |
| Private hospital, before admission | Informed financial consent in writing, including anaesthetist |
| Something went wrong | Patient liaison first, then the state health complaints commissioner |
What it costs
| Tier | Spend | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Public hospital treatment under Medicare, interpreters, patient liaison, the escalation systems |
| Solid | ~$30–60 | Earplugs, eye mask, long charging cable, non-slip socks, toiletries, notebook |
| Worth it | ~$50–100/year | Ambulance cover where your state charges. The bills run to four figures |
| Variable | $0–thousands | Private hospital gaps. Entirely avoidable surprises if you demand written financial consent first |
The drill: the pre-admission hour
- Write the medication list — name, dose, frequency, purpose. Print two copies.
- Write the allergy list.
- Pack the bag, including glasses, hearing aids and their labelled containers.
- Nominate the advocate — one family member who attends ward rounds and keeps the notebook.
- Ask what the escalation system is called at that hospital, on arrival.
- Book the GP follow-up for a week after the expected discharge date. Cancel it if not needed.
- For private admissions: get informed financial consent, in writing, from every doctor who will bill you.
Frequently asked questions
What should I take to hospital?
A written medication list, Medicare and health fund cards, an allergy list, glasses, hearing aids and dentures with labelled containers, a phone with a long charging cable, a notebook, earplugs and an eye mask. Leave jewellery and cash at home.
What questions should I ask doctors in hospital?
What the working diagnosis is, what each test will change about the plan, what the options and risks are, what every new medication is for, and what has to happen before discharge. The most productive single question is “What should I be worried about?”
What if the medical team isn’t listening about a deteriorating patient?
Every Australian public hospital has a family escalation system — Ryan’s Rule in Queensland, REACH in NSW, and equivalents in other states — that lets a patient or relative directly trigger a clinical review. Ask what it is called on admission.
What do I need before leaving hospital?
A written medication list with every change marked, a discharge summary for your GP, a booked follow-up appointment, and written warning signs telling you what means come back and who to ring. Do not leave without all four.
Is a public hospital stay free in Australia?
Yes — as a public patient in a public hospital, treatment is covered by Medicare. Ambulance transport is generally not covered by Medicare in most states, which is why separate ambulance cover is worth holding.
How do I avoid surprise bills in a private hospital?
Ask every doctor who will bill you — including the anaesthetist and any assisting surgeon, who bill separately — for informed financial consent in writing before admission. That is where almost all unexpected out-of-pocket costs originate.
This article is general information, researched from the sources listed below and not reviewed by a professional in the relevant field. Check the sources, and get advice or training suited to your situation. Read our full disclaimer.