Hospital and clinic documents
Clinic letter explainer
Letters between a specialist and your own doctor are written in professional shorthand, even when you receive a copy. Add yours below to see it restated section by section with the abbreviations spelled out.
Explain your clinic letter
- 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
- The diagnosis list, history, examination, tests and plan separated.
- Shorthand such as c/o, PMH, O/E and Ix written out.
- The plan restated as a list of who is doing what.
- Questions to ask at your next appointment.
Shorthand you may see
- c/oComplains of
- Hx, PMH, DH, SH, FHHistory, past medical history, drug history, social history, family history
- O/EOn examination
- NADNothing abnormal detected
- IxInvestigations, meaning tests
- ImpressionThe specialist's view of what is going on
What this tool cannot tell you
A clinic letter records one clinician's assessment on one day, and it is written for another clinician. MedicDecode restates it and does not add an opinion. If something in the letter is wrong, or the plan is not what you understood, contact the clinic that wrote it.
Common questions
Why is the letter addressed to my doctor and not to me?
Many clinics write to the referring doctor and send the patient a copy. The content is the same.
What do fractions such as 3/12 mean?
They are a way of writing time: 3/12 is three months, 2/52 is two weeks and 4/7 is four days.
What does impression mean in a letter?
It is the specialist's conclusion or working diagnosis after seeing you, and it usually comes just before the plan.
Words you may see on this report
Tap a word for its plain-English meaning, an example line and what it does not mean.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Vital signs
Vital signs are basic body measurements, such as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, temperature and oxygen level.