The bottom line the best way to survive the hospital is to practice good survival skills never take anything for granted says davis webmd feature reviewed by brunilda nazario md on august . Staving off medication errors when you get to the hospital let staff know all the medications you already take including over the counter drugs communicate any drug allergies or reactions you. The rule of thumb for a hospital stay is that it will take you one week to recover to pre hospital condition for each day you spend in the hospital some say 3 4 days recovery for each day in the. Written by an experienced nurse practitioner and recognized hospital safety expert how to survive your hospital stay offers simple steps to take before during and after hospitalization in order to take control of the entire process including evaluating whether a hospital stay is really necessary