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You might already worry that hospitals aren't as safe or sanitary as they should be, but nurses say you don't know the half of it. That is the startling conclusion of our first side-by-side surveys of hospital conditions from two very different perspectives: those of nurses and patients.

In the hospital surveys, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, we heard from subscribers who told us about their own or a loved one's most recent hospital stay, and nurses reported on their most recent week at work.

Their responses show that hospitals look very different depending on your vantage point. About 4 percent of patients told us they saw problems with hospital cleanliness, compared with 28 percent of nurses. Thirteen percent of patients said that their care wasn't coordinated properly, but 38 percent of nurses said that was a problem. Five percent of patients, but 26 percent of nurses, said hospital staff sometimes did not wash their hands.

In spring 2009, we surveyed a national sample of 731 nurses who cared directly for patients in emergency rooms, critical-care units, operating rooms, and other areas of the hospital. For the patient's viewpoint, in spring 2008, more than 13,540 readers told us about their own or a family member's hospital stay during the previous year.

We also collected suggestions from dozens of interviews with hospital officials, doctors, registered nurses, social workers, dietitians, and hospital pharmacists—and patients who were willing to share their experiences with us.

Here's their combined wisdom on how to get through a hospital stay safely and with minimal confusion, from the initial choice of where to go all the way through to your discharge.