Preparing for Surgery: A Practical Checklist
Most surgery postponements happen for avoidable reasons — a missing report, an unstopped blood thinner, an unfasted stomach. Here is how to arrive ready.
Read article
Admission is stressful and administrative at exactly the moment you have least attention to spare. Knowing the sequence in advance makes it far easier.
The sequence
A doctor decides admission is required and issues an admission advice note. You take this to the admission counter, where registration is completed, an identity band is issued, room category is chosen and an estimate is provided. For cashless insurance, pre-authorisation begins at this point and can take a few hours.
You are then taken to the ward or room, where the nursing team records vital signs, allergies, medicines and medical history. The treating doctor reviews you, orders investigations and explains the plan.
What to bring
- Identity proof and photographs if requested
- Insurance card and policy number
- All previous reports, scans and discharge summaries
- All current medicines in original packaging
- A list of allergies
- Comfortable loose clothing, toiletries and slippers with grip
- One primary attendant who knows the medical history
- Minimal cash and no valuables
Worth knowing
Nominate one family member as the primary contact for the medical team. Multiple relatives asking different doctors at different times produces contradictory information and a great deal of avoidable distress.
Questions to ask at admission
- What is the working diagnosis, and what are we ruling out?
- What is the treatment plan and expected length of stay?
- Which doctor is primarily responsible for the case?
- When are the daily rounds, so that I can be present?
- What is the estimated cost, and what is not covered by insurance?
- What are the visiting hours and how many attendants are permitted?
- Whom do I contact at night if there is a concern?
During the stay
- Keep a small notebook of doctors' names, medicines started and stopped, and results discussed
- Ask for explanations in the language you understand best — this is your right, not an imposition
- Do not give the patient outside food, water or medicine without asking the nurse
- Report new symptoms, pain or discomfort rather than waiting for rounds
- Ask for an interim bill every two to three days
- Verify the patient's identity band is checked before any medication or procedure
Your rights as a patient
- To have your condition, treatment options and risks explained in a language you understand
- To give or withhold informed consent for any procedure
- To confidentiality of your medical information
- To a copy of your medical records on request
- To seek a second opinion
- To an itemised bill
- To be treated with dignity regardless of background, and to raise a grievance without fear
Key takeaways
- Nominate one family member as the primary contact for the medical team.
- Begin insurance pre-authorisation at the admission counter, not after discharge.
- Keep a written record of medicines started, doctors seen and results discussed.
- Ask for an interim bill every two to three days rather than waiting until discharge.
A note on medical advice
This article is general health education written and reviewed by the Patient Care Services at SIMS. It is not a substitute for an examination, a diagnosis or the advice of your own treating doctor, and it cannot account for your history, medicines or reports. If a symptom is sudden or severe — chest pain, stroke symptoms, breathing difficulty, serious injury, seizures or heavy bleeding — call 9281862028 or come straight to the emergency department instead of reading further.
AdmissionHospitalPatient guideInsurance
