By law in most countries, on leaving the hospital, patients must be handed a hospital discharge report. This document is often considered a surgeon's bane, since it often consists of tedious paperwork that breaks the “excitement” of “real surgery.” For this reason, it is often done badly.
There are several reasons why the importance of a well-written discharge report must not be underestimated:
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1.
It will be your letter of presentation to other doctors.
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2.
The long-term evolution of your patients after the operation often depends on their following the recommendations you give them at discharge.
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3.
It will help you or your colleagues to treat the patient in the future (especially in the case of reoperations).
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4.
Last but not least, it has very important legal consequences.
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© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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(2009). Writing a Hospital Discharge Report. In: Ribes, R., Aranda, P.J., Giba, J. (eds) Surgical English. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02965-3_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02965-3_15
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