Going to Hospital
Getting Admitted | Day Only Admission | Day Of Surgery Admission | Preparing For Surgery | During Your Stay | Length Of Stay | Getting An Interpreter | Questions To Ask Your Doctor | Questions To Ask The SpecialistThere are more than 220 public hospitals in New South Wales. You can search for a hospital in our Health Services Directory. Hospitals and Emergency Department locations and contact details can also be found in the front section of the White Pages telephone directory.
Getting Admitted
When you are seriously sick or injured you may be immediately admitted into hospital through an Emergency Department. This is called an emergency admission.
Otherwise, your local doctor will refer you to a specialist doctor if he/she thinks you might need to go to hospital.
If the specialist decides that you should be admitted to hospital, but your admission is not an emergency, you will be "booked" to come into hospital at a later date. This is known as a booked admission.
The specialist will fill out a Recommendation for Admission form to be taken to the hospital. Sometimes the specialist will deliver the form to the hospital and sometimes you will be asked to do it. When the hospital receives the form, staff will contact you to let you know approximately how long you may have to wait for your admission.
You must give your informed consent before you have a procedure.
Booked admission patient details are placed on a register at the hospital. This is called a waiting time register. So that hospitals can arrange waiting times to make sure the sickest patients are treated first, the specialist indicates on the booking form how urgently your admission is required. In some cases this will be within days, in other cases within months.
Hospital staff will contact you again when an exact date for your admission has been set. They will try and give you at least two weeks notice of your admission date.
Day Only Admission
Day only admission is when you are admitted to hospital, have the surgery, and go home on the same day. Day only admission means there is less disruption to your normal activities. It also reduces the chance of post-operative infections and blood clots.
Day Of Surgery Admission
Day of surgery admission means that you are admitted to hospital and have the surgery on the same day, but you stay in hospital for a longer period after the operation, at least overnight.
Preparing For Surgery
Before going in for your surgery, you will probably attend a pre-admission clinic where the staff will provide you with information about the surgery and make plans for any needs you may have after the surgery.
A small number of patients may require admission before the day planned for their surgery. Your doctor may need to find out something going on inside your body before the surgery, or to prepare you for surgery.
In all of these cases, your doctor will let you know your arrangements for your admission to hospital.
During Your Stay
While you are in hospital you may be referred to an allied health professional to assist you in your recovery. The services provided by allied health professionals include physiotherapy, speech pathology, occupational therapy, social work, podiatry, radiology, audiology, nutrition, and orthoptics.
Length Of Stay
In 2006/07 the average time spent in a public hospital after being admitted for surgery or a procedure was three and a half days. However, some types of surgery such as heart or bowel may require slightly longer lengths of stay in hospital.
Today many types of treatment or diagnosis, including renal dialysis, keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery, endoscopy, and chemotherapy can safely be carried out in a few hours and you can return home on the same day.
Getting An Interpreter
If you have any questions regarding your treatment while you are in hospital, do not hesitate to ask the hospital staff. If English is not your first language and you are having difficulty understanding your doctor or any of the other professional staff caring for you, you can request that a health care interpreter attend the meeting with you and the health professional.
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
If your General Practitioner suggests that you see a specialist, ask the following questions:
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Why do you think I need to see a specialist?
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Why are you choosing this particular specialist?
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How much experience does she/he have in treating my type of health problem?
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Does she/he work at both public and private hospitals?
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How do I make an appointment with the specialist?
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If I need to be admitted to hospital, how long will I have to wait?
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If the specialist has a lengthy waiting time for admission, is there another specialist you can recommend who can admit me to hospital sooner?
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How do I find out how much it will cost to see the specialist?
Questions To Ask The Specialist
When you see a specialist, you may be anxious about the health problems you are experiencing and may easily forget to ask some important questions.
It is likely that most of these questions will be answered at the time of your consultation but it's a good idea to use the following questions as a guide or checklist. Note that some questions are suitable only for surgeons.
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What may happen to me if I do not have the procedure you suggest?
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Can you describe exactly what you intend to do?
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How necessary is this procedure?
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How urgent is this procedure?
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How long will I have to wait for my procedure?
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How long do you expect the procedure to take?
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What type of anaesthetic (general or local) will I need to have?
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What are the risks associated with the procedure?
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What are the risks associated with the anaesthetic?
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Will I need a blood transfusion?
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Will you or someone else be performing the actual procedure?
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At which hospital will the procedure be done? Do you do many of these procedures?
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Will I need any tests before the procedure? What are they?
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Is there anything I should or should not do before the procedure?
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How long will I be in hospital?
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What happens after the procedure? How can I expect to feel after the procedure?
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What sort of follow-up care will I need after I leave hospital?
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How long will I be away from work or unable to perform the routine tasks that I now do?
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How much will it cost me? (procedure, tests, follow-up visits, total)
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Are there any alternatives to the procedure for me?
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What should I do if my condition gets worse while I am waiting for the procedure?
Refer to Common Terms to help understand what specialists do.