Discharge summary: why it’s the most important paper you’ll get

When you leave a hospital, you’re handed a stack of papers. One of them matters more than the rest: the discharge summary.

What it is

A discharge summary is a short document the hospital writes when your stay ends. It tells the story of the admission in a form the next doctor can read in a minute.

Most discharge summaries cover:

• who the patient is, and the dates of admission and discharge;
• the reason for admission and the main findings;
• the tests and treatment during the stay;
• the medicines the patient goes home with;
• advice for the days after, and when to come back for a check-up.

Hospitals format it differently, and some are more detailed than others. Ask for the full version, not just a short slip.

Why it matters so much

Months later, a new doctor, a specialist or an insurer will ask for it. It’s the one paper that explains a whole hospital stay in a page or two. Without it, you’re left describing a stay from memory.

It also carries the list of medicines at discharge. If the medicines at home don’t match that list, it is worth asking your doctor why.

Check it before you leave

Read it while you’re still in the hospital, when mistakes are easy to fix.

• Is the name right, and the age and dates?
• Do the medicines match what you were told? Ask about anything you don’t recognise.
• Is it signed and stamped, if the hospital does that?
• Do you know when to come back, and who to call if you have questions?

If something looks wrong, ask the hospital to correct it before you go. It’s much harder weeks later.

Ask for the other papers at the same time

Ask for the final bill, the reports and scans from the stay, and any films or discs. Collecting them later takes more visits than you expect.

Keep it safe

• Put the original in a folder for that person and that admission, with the other papers from the stay.
• Photograph every page and keep the photos on your phone, named with the person, the hospital and the date.
• If an insurer or employer wants the original, copy it first and note what you sent.

Where Kinsu fits

Kinsu has a category for discharge summaries. You photograph or save the file, choose whose it is, and search for it later by name, doctor or tag. It keeps your records on your phone, encrypted, and doesn’t send them to the hospital or an insurer. Keep the paper original too.