Hospital and clinic documents
Discharge summary explainer
A discharge summary packs a whole hospital stay into a page of abbreviations. Add yours below to see it laid out in order: why you were admitted, what was done, what the document lists for medicines and follow-up, and what the terms mean.
Explain your discharge 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
- The main sections of the summary restated in plain language.
- Procedures, test results and medicines listed as separate rows.
- Abbreviations such as "Hx", "NAD" or "f/u" expanded and defined.
- Questions to take to your follow-up appointment.
What a summary usually contains
- Reason for admission and the diagnosis recorded by the hospital
- Hospital courseWhat happened and which procedures were done
- Key test results from the stay
- Medicines listed at discharge
- Follow-up appointments and instructions
What this tool cannot tell you
MedicDecode restates what your discharge summary says. It does not add to the hospital's instructions or replace them. If the explanation and your paperwork ever seem to differ, follow the paperwork and check with the ward or your doctor. If you feel worse after going home, contact your doctor or emergency services rather than relying on any document.
Common questions
My summary is several pages. Will it all fit?
There is a limit of roughly 6,000 tokens of text per explanation, which is about eight to ten typed pages. For longer documents, explain one section at a time.
Does it check my discharge medicines?
No. It lists them as written and expands the abbreviations. Ask your pharmacist or doctor if anything about your medicines is unclear.
What do fractions like 2/52 or 4/7 mean?
They are a shorthand for time used in some hospitals: 4/7 means four days, 2/52 means two weeks and 3/12 means three months. The explanation writes these out in full.
Words you may see on this report
Tap a word for its plain-English meaning, an example line and what it does not mean.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.