• Will I need a transfusion? If your surgeon says you'll probably need blood, you can eliminate the risk of Hepatitis or AIDS entirely by banking your own blood supply ahead of time.

• Would you mark X on the spot? Reports of surgeons removing the wrong limb or kidney, or operating on the wrong side of the brain, periodically create alarming headlines. Many hospitals abroad advise surgeons to initial the surgery site before hand. If your surgeon doesn't offer to mark the site, ask for it.

• Do I need antibiotics? If the surgeon says your operation poses a significant threat of infection, ask him or her to make sure you receive antibiotics in the hour before surgery - a timing that isn't always followed.

• How will my pain be controlled? Many patients still suffer needlessly from significant post-surgical pain. Some surgeons are reluctant to order morphine or other opiates which are the strongest painkillers, even though the chances of addiction are minuscule. Or they fail to consider newer options, such as epidural anaesthesia, which controls pain by feeding a nerve-blocking drug into the spine. Nerve blockage may be preferable to opiates after certain operations such as joint replacement, since it controls pain equally well without making one groggy.

Many hospitals abroad now have patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCA), which lets patients administer their own medication by pushing a button on a computerized pump.

In a recent study, surgery patients who listened to soothing music through headphones while recovering reported less pain than other patients. Other relaxation techniques - such as deep breathing, muscle relaxation, listening to guided imagery, or self-hypnosis tapes - may also be helpful.

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