What to bring to the hospital
The Christian should remember that illness is sent by God in order that man might escape from the everyday hustle and bustle and to reflect on the eternal. It should perceive its state. Very often, modern people do not have enough time to read the gospel writings of the Church fathers, other books of spiritual content, to quietly reflect on the reading. The disease provides such an opportunity and we should use it.
Books need to take a short prayer, the gospel or any book of spiritual content, which right now I want to read that anymore. I used to study in detail, but there wasn't time. If man had never confessed, the best choice would be a book explaining how to prepare for confession.
You can take a small icon, for example, a triptych depicting the Saviour and of the mother of God or the icon of his Saint. Thus it is necessary to correctly treat the icon as a sacred object needed for prayer, not as a "talisman" designed "to protect." If to bring to the hospital, the icon was not allowed to worry because this is not: you can pray without it.
What prayers need to read
During the entire stay at the hospital, you should try to follow the normal order: fully read the morning and evening rule of prayer before eating and after it. If the person is not able to read morning and evening prayers in full, or he can't remember them all by heart, and prayer book with me (for example, if the patient is in the intensive care unit), you need to read at least as many prayers as you strong enough, or ones that people remember.
Currently, many hospitals have a relationship with the Orthodox churches: the priests regularly visit the hospital, confess and admit patients, and it must be used. If in the hospital this practice is not, you need to ask family to invite a priest, but confession and communion before the surgery must. In this event, some limitations: the patient does not require fasting before confession and communion, a woman who undergo a surgery can even give communion during menstruation.
You can ask loved ones to pray for the sick – there are special prayer "On the sick". They can also enjoy in the temple prayer for the health.
Before the operation it is necessary not only to read the usual evening prayers, but to pray for the doctors and nurses who will operate and to assist. The morning before the surgery to pray, as usual, and then from time to time to repeat the short prayer: "Lord, have mercy! God bless! Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!"
If the physician insists that the patient at the time of surgery removed the crucifix, do not need to argue, and perhaps that is really necessary. In this case, the cross can be hung on hand.
No need to be like those people who cry out to God when they are hard, and forget about It, once the danger has passed. Released from the hospital, you need to go to the temple to thank the Almighty for healing. While we certainly need to pray for the doctors.