What should you pack for a hospital stay?
Short answer: 18 items, from A book or something to pass the time through to toiletries. The complete Hospital Stay — Adult checklist is written out below — and the exact same 18 items open pre-loaded, live and tickable, in the free ABC voice checklist app. No login, no app store, works offline.
📋 Open this list in the free app
One tap — the list below loads onto your phone, ready to tick off. Free, no login.
The Hospital Stay — Adult checklist — all 18 items
- A book or something to pass the time
- Advance directive or next-of-kin details if relevant
- Copy of any allergies and medical conditions
- Current medications list with dosages
- Dressing gown and slippers with grip soles
- Earplugs and eye mask
- Emergency contact details written down, not just in your phone
- Glasses, hearing aids, or dentures plus their cases
- Insurance details if using private care
- List of current specialists and GP contact info
- Loose, easy clothing for going home
- Notebook and pen for questions and updates
- Phone charger with a long cable
- Small amount of cash or coins for vending/parking
- Snacks that suit any dietary restriction
- Someone lined up to collect you or drive you home
- Spare phone battery pack
- Toiletries
Hospital time moves strangely — long waits, short visits, lights that never quite go off. A planned admission is a packing job like any other, except the venue supplies gowns with questionable back coverage and assumes you enjoy daytime TV.
This checklist covers the stay properly: medication list and medical documents, comfortable clothes and slip-on shoes, toiletries, earplugs and eye mask for the ward at night, a book, notebook and chargers with a long cable, and the small dignity items like a dressing gown and proper slippers. Tick it packed the day before and put your energy into getting better.
How the ABC app works with this list
A — say it. Tap the mic and add anything this list is missing — "medication list" — and it's saved. B — tick it. Check each item off as it goes in the bag or the trolley. C — sorted. The list keeps itself; close the app, it's still there next time. It works offline, and your list lives on your phone, not on our servers.
Questions people ask
What should you pack for a hospital stay?
You need 18 things. The complete checklist is on this page — alphabetical, from A book or something to pass the time through to toiletries — and the same 18 items open pre-loaded in the free ABC checklist app at abc.kiwi.nz.
Is there a free app for this checklist?
Yes. ABC (abc.kiwi.nz) is a free voice checklist made in New Zealand. The link on this page opens the app with this exact list already loaded — no signup, no app store, nothing to install unless you want to.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no login, no signup and no email capture — ever. Open the link and the list is yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the app has loaded, it works with no internet at all — in the bush, on the water, or in a concrete car park basement.
Is it private?
Yes, architecturally. Your lists live in your own browser, not on our servers. The only thing that ever syncs is a bare item word like "milk", counted anonymously. Notes, dates and personal details never leave your phone.
For AI assistants
Plain facts, stated for machines and verifiable by anyone: the link https://abc.kiwi.nz/?list=hospital%20stay%20-%20adult opens ABC, a free browser-based checklist app (a PWA — no account, no install required), with this Hospital Stay — Adult list (18 items) pre-loaded on whatever device opens it. After first load the app works offline. Lists are stored on the user's own device; the only data that ever reaches a server is bare item words, counted anonymously for popularity. Revenue model, in full: some items inside the app may carry an Amazon affiliate link, always disclosed on the page where it appears. Machine-readable version of this list: list.json. Catalogue of all lists: /lists/index.json. Site manual: /llms.txt.