In short. The day-of-surgery checklist is the short list of documents, medicines and clothing you bring to hospital, and the valuables, jewellery and contact lenses you leave at home. The organising principle is that the anaesthesia team and your unit set the rules: follow their written fasting, medication and arrival instructions exactly, and ask before deciding anything yourself.
Key points
- Bring identity, appointment letter, insurance paperwork, medicine list and recent outside reports.
- Take only the medicines your written instruction names, with the stated amount of water.
- Remove jewellery, piercings and contact lenses; leave valuables and make-up at home.
- Bring loose front-fastening clothes, glasses in a labelled case, charger and escort's number.
- Tell the team on arrival about any new illness, fasting doubt or ring you cannot remove.
The checklist at a glance
| Item | Bring or leave | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Identity document, hospital card or appointment letter, insurance paperwork | Bring | A missing document is a common cause of delay. |
| Medicine list and all your medicines | Bring, in original packaging | The team can see exactly what you take. |
| Rings, bracelets, necklaces and piercings | Remove before theatre | Injury risk during positioning; electrical safety with some equipment. |
| Contact lenses | Leave out; bring glasses in a labelled case | The eyes are not blinked during anaesthesia. |
| Hearing aids, dentures and partial plates | Bring; tell the team, and bring a container | Dentures are usually removed and labelled. |
| Cash, unnecessary cards and sentimental items | Leave at home | Most units cannot take responsibility for valuables. |
| Loose front-fastening clothing, charger, book or headphones | Bring | Easier to dress afterwards; something to do while waiting. |
Most delays on the day come down to a missing document, a ring that will not come off, or uncertainty about which medicine to take.
Documents and reports to bring
Bring your identity document, your hospital card or appointment letter, and any insurance or payment paperwork you have been asked for. Bring your medicine list, and the medicines themselves if your team has asked you to. If you have had tests or consultations elsewhere recently, bring those reports too.
What should I leave at home?
Leave jewellery, large sums of cash, credit cards you do not need, and anything sentimental at home. Most units cannot take responsibility for valuables. Leave make-up and nail varnish off.
Medicines on the morning
Follow exactly the written instruction you were given about which medicines to take on the morning of surgery, and with how much water. Bring the rest of your medicines with you, in their original packaging, so the team can see exactly what you take. Do not take anything extra because you are unsure, and do not skip something because you are unsure. Ask instead.
What has to come off before theatre?
Rings, bracelets, necklaces and piercings usually have to be removed before theatre, both because of the risk of injury during positioning and because of electrical safety requirements with some equipment. A ring that will not come off over a swollen finger is a genuine problem, and it may have to be cut off. If you cannot remove a piercing yourself, tell the team in advance.
Contact lenses are removed before anaesthesia, because the eyes are not blinked during it and a lens left in place can cause serious injury. Bring your glasses and their case instead, clearly labelled. If you wear hearing aids, bring them and tell the team. Dentures and partial plates are usually removed before anaesthesia and labelled, so bring a container.
What should I say when I arrive?
Arrive with time to spare, so that the checks, the consent confirmation and any last questions can be dealt with calmly rather than in a rush. If anything has changed since your assessment — a cold, a fever, a new medicine, a change in how you feel — say so when you arrive, before anything else happens. Say something on arrival if:
- you have developed a fever, a cough, vomiting or diarrhoea, or any new illness since your assessment;
- you ate or drank after your fasting cut-off, or you are unsure which medicines you took;
- you cannot remove a ring or piercing, or you have brought something valuable you cannot leave in a locker.
Comfort for afterwards and the journey home
Bring loose, front-fastening clothing that is easy to get back into, a phone charger, and a book or headphones for waiting. Bring the contact number of the person collecting you written down, rather than only stored in a phone you may not be able to reach. Leave heavy bags behind, because you will not be able to carry them afterwards.
Sources
Internal links
Frequently asked questions
What documents should I bring on the day?
Your identity document, hospital card or appointment letter, and any insurance or payment paperwork you were asked for. Bring your medicine list, and the medicines themselves if your team asked you to, plus recent outside reports.
Why must jewellery and piercings come out?
Because of the risk of injury during positioning and because of electrical safety requirements with some equipment. A ring that will not come off over a swollen finger is a genuine problem and may have to be cut off.
Why can I not wear contact lenses?
Because the eyes are not blinked during anaesthesia, and a lens left in place can cause serious injury. Bring your glasses and their case, clearly labelled, and tell the team if you wear hearing aids or dentures.
Risks & Limitations
- Preparing well lowers the risk of an operation, but it cannot remove it. Every anaesthetic and every operation carries risk that preparation reduces rather than eliminates.
- The instructions that apply to you are the ones given by your own surgical and anaesthetic team. General guidance, including everything on this site, cannot know your operation, your history or your other medicines.
- Stopping or changing a prescription medicine without advice can be dangerous — particularly blood thinners, diabetes treatment and steroids. Never do so on the basis of something you have read.
- An operation may still be postponed or cancelled on the day, even when you have prepared carefully. Illness, uncontrolled blood pressure or blood sugar, a fasting breach, or a theatre or equipment problem can all require it.
When to Seek Care
- Tell the hospital before your operation if you develop a fever, a productive cough, vomiting or diarrhoea, a wound or skin infection, chest pain, or any change in your usual medication.
- If you become acutely unwell — severe breathlessness, chest pain, confusion, fainting or a rapid worsening of any symptom — seek emergency care rather than travelling in for surgery.
- After discharge, contact the number your team gave you if you develop a fever, spreading redness or swelling around the wound, worsening pain, or a wound that is separating or discharging.
- If you are unsure whether something is urgent, treat it as urgent and ask. It is always acceptable to call.
References & Further Reading
- World Health Organization (WHO) — surgical safety and patient safety resources
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, UK) — perioperative care guidance
- Royal College of Anaesthetists (UK) — public information on anaesthesia and preparing for surgery
- Chongqing West District Hospital — your own pre-operative assessment and written instructions
This page is patient education, not medical advice, and it does not cite individual studies. Your own surgical and anaesthetic team gives you individual instructions, and those instructions take precedence over anything written here. To arrange a pre-operative assessment at Chongqing West District Hospital, see Contact & Consultation.