The Checklists for Hospital Go-Bags, Admission and Medical Information Summaries
Be prepared for an emergency.
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Before my father died in January 2020, I lost count of the number of times I dialled 999 for an ambulance in the middle of the night for him. He experienced several atrial fibrillation episodes, cardiac events, and a couple of bad falls. Congestive heart failure, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, along with vascular dementia, and organ issues. All these health issues meant we were walking on eggshells; hypervigilance was our norm.
Two weeks after Dad passed, we pivoted to my mother’s cancer surgeries, one after another, and then chemo, and then radiotherapy. So, I’m a seasoned ambulance passenger, a primed ER cubicle camper, a carer based in the UK.
Having been in many emergency situations, I’ve developed a process that works for us. It may help you, too. What worked was having one hospital go-bag for my parent and one for me. Each had its own purpose and essential contents.
The aim: to keep us comfortable for 6-12 hours in an emergency department , or longer if absolutely needed; to be ready for admission. This is the range of time I’ve experienced in the department, after the ambulance has taken us into the department, I don’t mean the waiting room.
The benefit: I know the bags are always ready, primed for grab-and-go. A piece of control and calm amidst the escalating crisis. Something I can literally cling to when I’m having PTSD flashbacks of every previous ambulance trip, and walking that same hospital corridor.
I want you to have these, so you’re primed for an emergency. These are NOT random lists of items. They’re curated checklists I use to pack and repack what we need in these crises. Each item and action has a story.
For example, a water bottle and a plastic straw. It’s not easy to give someone water when they’re lying down on a hospital bed. It dribbles out the side of their mouth, making everything wet. One health assistant tried to be helpful by getting a paper straw from the nurses’ station. But after a short time, the straw became wet and mushy, making it impossible to drink. A plastic straw stays intact.
Every essential item has a purpose. These insights need to be shared.
[Disclaimer: This is based on personal experience; this is not medical advice. This information was previously shared via a link to a Podia site that has now been cancelled]
Table of Contents
1. The Hospital Go-Bag for the Patient: Why I think you need this
Be prepared. Have a go bag to have one less worry in a crisis. It will give you some reassurance and a sense of control in a difficult situation.
The contents of this go bag are for a person who is ill and may be admitted to a hospital. It holds only the essentials because there’s limited space in hospital bedside cupboards. Visitors can bring/change items during visiting hours. Limit the number of items to reduce the stress of finding things.
The Checklist
Short-sleeved pyjamas for easy access to veins. A nightdress can easily bunch up, restrict movement in bed or make toileting more difficult.
✅ One change of clothes.
Tops: Vests or T-shirts. A cardigan, or fleece jacket to wear or remove easily. Wear back to front if a cannula is in place.
Bottoms: trousers, tapered ankles/jogger pants or pyjama bottoms. Tuck trouser legs into socks to avoid tripping/falling over, especially after toileting.
Avoid bras, buttons or anything with metal in case a CT/MRI scan is needed.
✅ A warm dressing gown acts as a blanket over thin hospital blankets, and an overcoat in the ambulance.
✅ Bed socks with rubber grips on the soles are better than taking shoes or slippers on and off. Poor circulation can make feet cold at night. The grips can offer extra reassurance in bathrooms.
✅ Small towel & wash bag including
phone charger.
small bar of soap. Some hands don’t have the strength to squeeze bottles.
a small face cloth,
small travel-size toothpaste and manual toothbrush,
earplugs (it’s noisy on a ward),
pens, post-its,
✅ Their Phone with a paper copy of emergency contacts in the phone case.
✅ Wet Wipes to clean hands and face in bed, or bottoms after toileting.
✅ A half-empty tissue box or another long flat box can act as a handy container for spectacles, a notebook, a pen, face wipes, etc.
✅ Small bag of current medications and inhalers NOT full pack.
✅ A book or a puzzle book like Sudoku.
✅ Put a note, a photo of yourself, e.g. as a screensaver on the phone or a small letter to comfort your person/family member in the hospital.
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2. The Caregiver’s Go-Bag: Why I think you need this
Be prepared. Have a go bag to have one less worry in a crisis. It will give you some reassurance and a sense of control in a difficult situation.
Think of it as your essentials, utility bag.
The caregiver’s go bag contains the essentials you need during an emergency and for a long wait in an emergency department.
A rucksack with multiple compartments is best. A caregiver would carry this and the hospital go bag into an ambulance.
✅ Five paper handout copies of the essential patient reference documents:
List of medications (dose and frequency of administration), including allergies to medication or latex (dressings/plasters).
Medical history summary: highest priority conditions, last investigations, incl. CT, PET, MRI, endoscopy, colonoscopy, biopsy, and blood tests (haemoglobin, blood clotting factors, cancer markers). Be prepared to make clear statements of this to medics.
Doctors names: PCP/GP and name of their practice, and specialists
Legal documents and health directives: Power of Attorney (PoA), Living Will, Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) if applicable. Emergency Health Care Plan (EHCP). Any important intervention alert e.g. specific issues with intubation, anaesthesia
US: Living wills and advance directives for medical decisions incl. Physician orders for life-sustaining treatment (POLST). By Mayo clinic
✅ Small notebook and pens, to write everything down including the names of each person, doctor, nurse, health care assistant, each paramedic. Use names to personalise the conversation.
✅ Your phone: note taking, reference documents and reading.
Access to emergency contacts and medical information
Load your phone with a book and games
✅ A power pack with an inbuilt connector to avoid loose wires e.g. Powerpack to recharge your phone
✅ I DO NOT take headphones for my phone because I need to overhear everything people are saying, and listen out for symptoms changing.
✅ Protein bars and individually wrapped biscuits to avoid hypoglycaemia.
✅ A bottle of water with a plastic straw, for your person because no one can drink from a bottle lying down, and a paper straw dissolves fast.
✅ Tissues and a small towel or a face cloth.
✅ Incontinence pad x 2, underwear, wet wipes, depending on your person’s needs, and your own if you’re on alert and don’t want to leave their side!
✅ Plastic trash bags for dirty clothes/waste that you’ll take home
✅ Cotton washable scarf that can double as a shawl/blanket/pillow
✅ Face mask and hand sanitiser because you don’t want to get COVID or flu
✅ Cash for a taxi. Ride in the ambulance to the hospital. Have a local taxi company number to get home.
✅ Hair ties and grips hold things together and can bunch up clothes out of the way. e.g. when they’re using a commode or being sick.
✅ Glasses and glasses case, artificial tears for dry eyes. Avoid wearing contact lenses.
✅ Lip balm, and chewing gum.
✅ A book you’ve already read, a puzzle book like Sudoku - something easy and familiar to pass the time, but not too distracting. You’ll be listening to the staff and the person you care for. Candy Crush works well!
✅ A box of aspirin and paracetamol for the carer/advocate, not the person being treated. It’s easier to have your own supply, especially if you have increasing symptoms, e.g. COVID, flu, headache
Go-Bag Tips
Refresh the go bags every month. I do this with my mother as a reminder to both of us of how important it is and that we both know what’s inside the bag.
Put it somewhere anyone can grab it to go
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3. Admission Checklist
Actions to take when your family member/friend has been admitted to the hospital through the emergency department.
Use this in conjunction with the Hospital Go Bag Checklist and Caregiver’s Go Bag Checklist.
The aim is to make the patient comfortable and ensure essentials are accessible, without unpacking everything in case the patient is moved unexpectedly.
✅ Your person’s shoes and coat take up space - take them home.
✅ Things to put within reach on the bedside table locker or over-bed table:
The tissue-box container with tissues, spectacles, wet wipes and phone.
Water with a plastic straw, a packet of biscuits that they can easily open.
✅ Change day socks to the bed socks with rubber grips. They may not be able to bend down to put on slippers overnight. Avoid falls and slips.
✅ Tie a plastic bag for waste to the bedside table.
✅ The change of clothes and wash bag are easily accessible IN the bag
✅ Give the medications to the nurse OR ensure a clear note of the usual medications has been taken.
Medications are usually locked in a drawer
Tell nursing staff what medication has/has not been taken that day.
Check what medications are being given today.
✅ Check if your person needs the toilet before leaving
✅ Place the call button within their reach. Ensure it can’t fall outside the bed
✅ Ensure oxygen and any other lines are not tangled in sheets
✅ Ensure they are warm enough and comfortable. Leave the large scarf
✅ Check the name of the nurse on duty and inform them of any disabilities or additional support your person may need e.g. difficulties toileting, walking, drinking, swallowing or eating.
✅ Make sure medical staff have your contact details
✅ Note the nurse’s station telephone number, ask who is on duty tonight and tomorrow.
✅ Check visiting hours and the time doctors usually review patients.
Tips for the caregiver:
Contrary to popular opinion, when you get home, I’d advise burning off frustrations and adrenaline, as hospitalisations are stressful. Don’t crash into bed immediately. For example:
Tidy up the bedroom post-paramedics, and prepare another go bag with a change of clothes, extra water and food.
Call to update the most important person/friend/family member. Ask them to update others to help you communicate the news
Hydrate and eat something (avoid alcohol and caffeine).
Plan what you’ll do tomorrow: will you call the nurses first? Will you go to the hospital? At what time? Be mindful that your person may have additional scans or tests after the doctor has reviewed them.
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4. Medical Summary Checklist
Avoid missing key medical information when under stress or in an emergency by preparing a one-page reference summary.
Hand out copies to paramedics, doctors, and other medical staff. Make sure all the text is clear and easy to read.
Update the summary sheet with each new event, e.g. a medication change.
State the date to be clear it’s the latest edition.
At the top, put the person’s name and date of birth (principal identifiers) big, bold and clear
UK-based people need to include their NHS number near their name.
Home address
Insurance number and provider if relevant
Emergency contact
Name and relationship to the person
Mobile telephone number
Name of the GP/PCP practice where the person is registered
Name of the specialists, e.g. oncologist, cardiologist
Current medical summary:
Recent medical event: dates (admission, discharge), diagnosis, medication
Highest priority diagnosis: when the diagnosis was made, where, by whom, treatment name, dose and date prescribed
Repeat for other diagnoses in rank order of priority/impact
Any recent scans or investigations: date, type and result
Dates of recent immunisations, e.g. COVID, flu, shingles
Other symptoms, e.g. shortness of breath, pain (intensity, frequency, location, duration)
Disabilities that could impact their hospitalisation, care and comfort: mobility issues, difficulty dressing/undressing, difficulty toileting or eating.
Medication:
Note the information from each drug pack. The drug name and dose
The date it was started
How many pills are taken each time, the time of day, with/without food.
Allergies: Medication, food or other allergies e.g. plasters
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