Hospital and clinic documents
After-visit summary explainer
The pages you are handed on leaving a clinic or emergency department hold a lot in a small space: what was found, what was done, what to take and when to come back. Add yours below to see it sorted into clear parts.
Explain your after-visit summary
- 1. Add itDrop a PDF, take a photo or paste the text.
- 2. Check itPersonal details are removed on your device. You approve what is sent.
- 3. Read itSummary, table of results, terms and questions to ask.
The explainer opens on its own page with no adverts and no outside scripts. Your file is read on your device and is never uploaded.
What you get
- Diagnoses, tests, medicines and instructions listed separately.
- Abbreviations such as PRN, f/u and WBAT written out.
- Return precautions pulled out so they are easy to find.
- Questions to ask at your follow-up visit.
What a summary usually contains
- Reason for the visit and the diagnoses recorded, sometimes with codes
- Vital signs taken during the visit
- Tests done, with results, and any results still pending
- Medicines to start, stop or continue
- Home care instructions
- When to return or seek urgent care, and follow-up appointments
What this tool cannot tell you
MedicDecode restates what your summary says and does not add to or replace its instructions. If the explanation and your paperwork ever seem to differ, follow the paperwork and check with the clinic. If you get worse, follow the return instructions on your summary or call your local emergency number.
Common questions
What are the codes next to my diagnosis?
They are diagnosis codes used for records and billing. The words beside the code carry the meaning.
What does results pending mean?
A test was sent but the result was not back when you left. The summary may say who will contact you; if it does not, ask the clinic.
What are return precautions?
The list of symptoms or changes that mean you should come back or seek urgent care. They are specific to your visit, so read them on your own paperwork too.
Words you may see on this report
Tap a word for its plain-English meaning, an example line and what it does not mean.
- Follow-up appointment
A follow-up appointment is a planned visit after a test, treatment or hospital stay to check progress and decide next steps.
- Vital signs
Vital signs are basic body measurements, such as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, temperature and oxygen level.
- Dialysis
Dialysis is a treatment that removes waste and extra fluid from the blood when the kidneys can no longer do this well enough.
- Directly observed therapy
Directly observed therapy (DOT) means a health worker watches you take each dose of a medicine, most often for tuberculosis treatment.
- Discharge summary
A discharge summary is a document written when you leave hospital that explains why you were there, what was done, and what happens next.
- Hemodialysis
Hemodialysis is a treatment where a machine filters the blood to remove waste and extra fluid when the kidneys cannot do it well enough.
- Nil by mouth
Nil by mouth means a person should not eat or drink anything, usually before surgery, a procedure or certain tests.
- Palliative
Palliative means care or treatment focused on easing symptoms and improving quality of life, rather than on removing the illness itself.
- Referral
A referral is when one health professional asks another, usually a specialist or service, to see you or carry out a test.
- Triage
Triage is the process of sorting patients by how urgently they need care, so the most urgent are seen first.