Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Reading your discharge summary | CION Cancer Clinics
Read your discharge summary from top to bottom in its usual order: who you are, what was found, which operation was done, how the stay went, and what to do at home. Three parts matter most once you leave: the medicine list, the warning signs and the review date. This page explains the common headings and short forms, and what the summary cannot tell you. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MI
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mohammed ImaduddinConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What is a discharge summary, and how should you read it?
- What do the headings on the summary mean, in order?
- What do the short forms on the medicine list mean?
- How should you read the list of medicines to take home?
- What else on the summary should you check?
- What do families often misread on a discharge summary?
- Common questions about reading a discharge summary
The short answer
What is a discharge summary, and how should you read it?
A discharge summary is the hospital's short record of your stay, written when you leave. Read it for three things first: the medicines to take, the signs that mean you should come back, and the date of your next visit.
Who it is written for
It is written mainly for the next doctor who sees you, so it uses short forms and medical terms. That does not mean you cannot follow it. Most summaries use the same order, and once you know the headings, the page becomes much easier to understand.
Read it before you leave the ward
Ask for the summary a little before you are due to go, not at the door. Sit down with the family member who will help at home and read it together. If a medicine name, a short form or an instruction is unclear, ask the nurse or doctor there and then. It is much harder to get an answer once you are back home.
Going home to a district
If the patient is travelling back to a town far from the hospital, ask which kind of local doctor can help with small problems, and carry the summary to that first local visit.
Check the name, age, hospital number and dates before you leave. A wrong detail causes trouble with claims later.Top to bottom
What do the headings on the summary mean, in order?
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Patient details and dates
Name, age, hospital number, the dates you were admitted and discharged, and the consultant in charge of your care.
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Diagnosis
The condition you were treated for. After cancer surgery it may say provisional, or HPE awaited, which means the final tissue report is not ready yet.
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Procedure done
The name of the operation and its date. It may list the approach, such as open or keyhole, and whether lymph nodes were removed.
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Course in hospital
A short story of your stay: how the operation went, any time in intensive care, when you started eating, when drains came out, and any problem along the way, such as a fever or a blood transfusion.
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Condition at discharge
How you were when you left. Words like stable, afebrile and ambulant simply mean steady, without a fever, and walking.
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Advice on discharge
Medicines, wound care, food, activity, warning signs and the review date. This is the part you will use every single day at home.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistDecoding the list
What do the short forms on the medicine list mean?
Short form
What it means
OD
Once a day
BD
Twice a day
TDS
Three times a day
HS
At bedtime
SOS or PRN
Only when needed, for example for pain
Tab, Cap, Syp, Inj
Tablet, capsule, syrup, injection
POD
Post-operative day, counted from the day of surgery
!
Signs on your summary that should not wait for the review date
Most summaries list warning signs, and they mean it. A fever, fresh bleeding, a wound that turns red, hot or starts leaking pus, sudden breathlessness, chest pain, a swollen and painful calf, vomiting that will not stop, or a stomach that swells and hurts are reasons to call the ward or go to the nearest emergency department the same day. Take the discharge summary with you. Do not start leftover antibiotics on your own first.
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The medicine list
How should you read the list of medicines to take home?
This is where most confusion at home starts. Read the list in these four groups.
New medicines for recovery
Painkillers, antibiotics, acid-reducing tablets and sometimes blood-thinning injections. The summary says how often and for how long. Follow exactly what is written for you.
Your usual medicines
Tablets you took before surgery for sugar, blood pressure, thyroid or the heart. Check whether each one has been restarted, changed or paused.
Ask before leaving
- Which usual medicine is paused
- Who decides when it restarts
Medicines that were held
Blood thinners such as aspirin (Ecosprin) or clopidogrel, and some diabetes tablets, are often held around surgery. The summary should say who decides when to restart them. Never restart or stop one on your own.
Brand and generic names
The summary may use a generic name while the pharmacy strip shows a brand name, or the other way round. Ask the pharmacist to match each strip to the list, so nothing is taken twice.
The practical part
What else on the summary should you check?
Beyond the medicines, look for the practical instructions that shape the first weeks at home. If any of these are missing, ask for them before you leave.
Wound, drains and stitches
The summary should say how to care for the wound, when the dressing is changed, and when and where stitches or clips come out. If you are going home with a drain or a catheter, it should say how to empty it and when it will be removed.
Food and activity
Look for instructions on what to eat, whether any food is restricted, how much to walk, when you can bathe and what not to lift. After some operations the advice is specific, such as a soft diet or no driving for a while. Follow what is written for you rather than general advice from relatives.
The review date and the contact number
Note the date, the time and the doctor you are to see, and whether you need to bring anything, such as a blood test done beforehand. Save the ward or helpline number in your phone and in the phone of the family member helping you.
Commonly misread
What do families often misread on a discharge summary?
"The diagnosis still says carcinoma, so the operation did not work."
The diagnosis line names the condition you were treated for, and it stays on the summary after surgery. It says nothing about whether the operation removed the cancer. That answer comes from the final pathology report.
"HPE awaited means the doctors are hiding something."
HPE means histopathology, the report on the removed tissue under the microscope. It takes time to prepare, so it is often not ready when you go home. It will be explained at a follow-up visit.
"Condition stable means everything is fine now."
It means you were well enough to go home safely. Recovery carries on for weeks, and the warning signs listed on the summary still apply.
"Once the antibiotics are finished, we can stop the other tablets too."
Some medicines are short courses and others are long term. Ask which is which, and never stop a medicine on your own, even if the patient feels much better.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about reading a discharge summary
What does HPE awaited mean on my discharge summary?
HPE stands for histopathological examination, the report on the tissue removed during surgery. Awaited means it is not ready yet. This is normal, because the tissue has to be processed and examined carefully. Your surgeon will explain it at a follow-up visit, and your case may then go to a tumour board.
Why is my diagnosis written as provisional?
Because the full picture depends on the final tissue report. Until that arrives, the diagnosis rests on scans, an earlier biopsy and what the surgeon saw. Once the report is ready, the diagnosis may be confirmed or refined. It does not mean the team was unsure which operation was needed.
The local pharmacy does not have a medicine on the list. What now?
Do not swap it on your own. Show the summary to the pharmacist and ask whether another brand contains exactly the same generic medicine at the same strength. If they are unsure, call the ward or the doctor who signed the summary before buying or giving anything.
Can my local doctor change the medicines on the summary?
Your local doctor can help, especially with sugar or blood pressure medicines. Show them the full summary, including the operation and any blood thinners. For medicines linked to the surgery, such as blood-thinning injections, ask them to check with the surgical team before changing anything.
What does "course in hospital uneventful" mean?
It means the stay went as expected, with no major problem such as a return to theatre or a serious infection. It is good news about the stay itself. It does not describe what the final tissue report will show, and it does not mean recovery at home will be free of small setbacks.
Who do I call if I do not understand something on the summary?
Call the ward or the contact number printed on the summary. If there is none, call the hospital helpline and ask for the surgical team. Keep the summary in front of you with the hospital number ready, so the person answering can find your record quickly.
Do I need the discharge summary for insurance or Aarogyasri?
Yes. Cashless insurers and schemes such as Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS usually need a signed discharge summary along with the bills and reports. Keep the original safe and submit copies where they are accepted. Check the summary first, because a mistake in the name or dates can hold up a claim.
Is the discharge summary the same as the pathology report?
No. The discharge summary describes your hospital stay and what to do at home. The pathology report describes the tissue removed, including the stage, margins and lymph nodes. It usually arrives later and is the report that guides treatment after surgery. Keep both together in one file.
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Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
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Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
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Dr. Owais Mohammed
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Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
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Dr. Vinay Mamidala
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Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
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Surgical Oncologist
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Sources
- NHS — Leaving hospital
- National Cancer Institute — Pathology reports
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for cancer
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Cancer treatment
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Keeping Your Operation Notes and Discharge SummaryHow to store the summary so it is there when you need itComplications and Red FlagsMore on the warning signs that need same-day helpWound, Stitches and ScarsLooking after the wound the summary describesMedicines Around Cancer SurgeryWhy some usual medicines are paused and who restarts themThe Pathology Report After SurgeryThe report that HPE awaited is waiting for
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