Hands & vascular access
Ask how staff follow hand hygiene and aseptic access-care procedures, and who will explain safe fistula or catheter care to you.
Safety & hygiene
Know what to ask at your hospital.
Treatment safety depends on the team, equipment and routines at the actual care location. Use these questions when discussing dialysis or chemotherapy services with your treating hospital.
Dialysis safety
Checks that patients can discuss.
Station preparation
Ask how the machine, chair, surfaces and shared equipment are cleaned between sessions, and how clean supplies are kept separate from used items.
Maintenance and records
Ask about the water-treatment system, test reports, machine maintenance and the process for reporting a concern.
The written dialyzer policy
Ask which items are single use, whether dialyzers are reused, and how the hospital explains its identification, processing and replacement policy.
Training and infection-status care
Ask about staff training, screening requirements and the equipment or scheduling precautions needed for your individual circumstances.
Instructions you can use
Ask your clinical team about access care, signs of infection and who to contact if you feel unwell. Follow your own treating team’s instructions.
Patient education reference: CDC: Bloodstream infection prevention in dialysis. This reference supports general infection-prevention guidance; it does not certify any NDCC location.
Chemotherapy safety
Confirm the checks around each cycle.
Ask who verifies the oncologist’s prescription, reviews your results and symptoms, supervises the infusion, and responds if you develop a reaction. Confirm the hospital’s preparation arrangements and the written instructions you receive before leaving.
Make sure you know the treating hospital’s urgent-contact number for concerns between cycles.
Read about day-care chemotherapy →Hospital-specific information
Ask for the policy that applies to your visit.
The guidance on this page is a patient checklist, not a published clinical operating protocol or an audit of every hospital. Confirm local facilities, records, staffing and emergency arrangements with the treating hospital.