A-Z of health information

A hospital stay can be stressful for patients and their loved ones. All Victorian hospitals offer hospital support and hospital advice to people needing extra help.

Support groups offer valuable advice and support and give you the chance to share information with others in a similar situation to you.

Take surfing lessons to learn the correct technique and get started safely.

The main cause of injury when surfing is contact with a surfer?s own board or that of another surfer.

Ask your doctor or surgeon about the benefits, risks and possible side effects of surgery.

Information about surgery and links to fact sheets about anaesthetic and types of surgery by body system.

Major surgery can require some time to recover from. After your discharge from hospital, you may need intensive physical rehabilitation, or to simply take it easy for a few days. Make sure you get the required care after your hospital discharge.

Surrogacy is a form of assisted reproductive treatment (ART) in which a woman carries a child within her uterus on behalf of another person or couple.

If you have survived a traumatic event, whether you were injured or not, it's important to recognise that trauma also causes emotional harm. Survival is often associated with complex emotional reactions that cause distress and make it hard to resume everyday life after the event. These are known as ‘survivor reactions’.

Sweat's main function is to control body temperature.