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India · Plain-Language Guide
Decoding your discharge summary
A discharge summary is written by doctors, for doctors, in a hurry — and then handed to a family who's never seen one before. This is a plain-language guide to what's actually in it, and a searchable glossary of the abbreviations you're most likely to see.
10 min read
Just left hospital, or about to? The Before You Leave the Hospital checklist covers what to collect and ask for on discharge day. This page is for afterward — once you're home with the paper in hand and some of it doesn't quite make sense.
Formats vary by hospital, but most discharge summaries — in India and elsewhere — are built around the same handful of parts, based on the UK's own national discharge-summary standard (a useful reference point for what "good" looks like, even though Indian hospitals aren't bound by it):
1
Diagnosis — what you were actually treated for, usually near the top.
2
Clinical summary — a short account of what happened during the admission: tests, treatment, how things went.
3
Allergies and safety alerts — anything you reacted badly to, or anything future doctors need to be warned about.
4
Medications — what to take, how much, and how often (this is where most of the dosing abbreviations below show up).
5
Plan and follow-up — the next appointment, referrals, and anything you're meant to do or watch for at home.
Source: PRSB eDischarge Summary Standard (UK) — simplified here to the parts families actually need to find quickly, not the full clinical standard.
🔤 Searchable glossary of abbreviations
Type in the box to filter. Grouped into how often it's taken, what test it refers to, or general shorthand.
How often to take a medicine
ODOnce a day
BDTwice a day
TDSThree times a day
QDSFour times a day
PRNAs needed (not on a fixed schedule)
StatImmediately, with no delay
NocteEvery night
P.O.By mouth (orally)
NBMNil by mouth — nothing to eat or drink, usually before a procedure
NPONil by mouth — the same meaning as NBM above (Latin "nil per os"); a common alternative used in many Indian and US hospitals
SOSWhen necessary / as needed — similar to PRN
HSAt bedtime (from the Latin "hora somni", the hour of sleep)
Tests and scans
FBCFull blood count — a general blood test
U&EUrea and electrolytes — a blood test checking kidney function and salt balance
LFTLiver function test
TFTThyroid function test
ECGElectrocardiogram — a heart-rhythm trace
CXRChest X-ray
CTComputerised tomography scan
MRIMagnetic resonance imaging scan
HbHaemoglobin — the oxygen-carrying part of blood
INRInternational normalised ratio — measures how quickly blood clots (relevant if on blood thinners)
EFEjection fraction — a measurement (usually from an echocardiogram) of how much blood the heart's main pumping chamber pushes out with each beat. A specific percentage isn't something to interpret from this page alone — ask your treating cardiologist what your number means for you.
General shorthand doctors use
DxDiagnosis
HxHistory (what happened before this admission)
IxInvestigations (tests done)
RxTreatment
O/EOn examination (what the doctor found when they examined you)
A&E / EDAccident & emergency / emergency department
DVTDeep vein thrombosis — a blood clot, usually in the leg
VTEVenous thromboembolism — the broader term covering DVT and clots that travel to the lungs
UTIUrinary tract infection
STEMIA specific, serious type of heart attack (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction)
AFAtrial fibrillation — an irregular heart rhythm
LMWHLow molecular weight heparin — an injected blood-thinner medicine, often given after surgery or during a hospital stay to help prevent clots (DVT)
No matches. Try a shorter word, or ask your treating doctor directly — the same abbreviation can occasionally mean different things between hospitals.
💬 Two abbreviations worth understanding calmly
NAD
Stands for "nothing abnormal discovered." It looks alarming written down next to your name, but it's actually reassuring — it means a particular check came back normal.
DNACPR / DNAR / DNR
These mean "do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation" or "do not attempt resuscitation." Seeing this on a document can be distressing if you weren't expecting it. It reflects a specific medical decision about resuscitation attempts only — not a decision to stop other care or treatment — and in good practice it's meant to be discussed with the patient and family beforehand, not discovered afterward on paper. If you see it and nobody has spoken to you about it, that's a fair and reasonable thing to ask the treating team about directly.
Common questions
What if the same abbreviation means two different things in two places?▾
It happens — the NHS itself notes that healthcare professionals sometimes use the same abbreviation to mean different things. If anything is genuinely unclear or seems to matter, the safest move is always to ask the person who wrote it, not to guess.
Should I try to translate the whole discharge summary myself?▾
Use this page to get your bearings, not as a replacement for asking. If a whole section doesn't make sense — not just one word — that's worth a direct question to your treating doctor or a follow-up call, not extra guesswork.
Do Indian hospitals use the exact same abbreviations?▾
Mostly yes — English-language medical shorthand is broadly international, and these abbreviations are common across Indian hospitals too. Formatting and which sections are included varies by hospital, since (unlike the UK) there's no single national discharge-summary standard every Indian hospital follows.
This is general information, not medical advice. It's a plain-language starting point, not a definitive dictionary — the same shorthand can mean different things in different hospitals or specialties. Always ask your own treating doctor to explain anything that matters to you, rather than relying on this page alone.
✓ Sources on this page were last checked in September 2026.
Not medical advice. This website provides general health information only. It does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your doctor or qualified healthcare provider.
In a medical emergency
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108Ambulance
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