utskrivningssummaries

Utskrivningssummaries are formal documents produced when a patient is discharged from hospital or another inpatient setting. They summarize the hospitalization, including the reason for admission, principal and secondary diagnoses, procedures performed, key test results, medications prescribed or changed at discharge, and recommended follow-up actions.

The primary purpose of a discharge summary is to facilitate safe and coordinated care after leaving hospital. It is intended for the next care providers, such as a patient’s general practitioner, specialists, home care services, and other community-based clinicians, as well as for the patient and their caregivers. The document helps ensure continuity of care by conveying the clinical course, treatment decisions, and explicit follow-up instructions.

Typical contents include patient identifiers, admission and discharge dates, diagnoses and clinical findings, treatments and procedures, the current medication list with changes, dosing instructions, potential drug interactions, planned follow-up appointments, required monitoring or tests, activity or lifestyle restrictions, warning signs that should prompt contact with a clinician, and contact information for the hospital team. The discharge summary may also note any referrals to rehabilitation, social services, or community resources.

Process and quality considerations vary by system but generally involve a physician or care team preparing the summary, review with the patient or caregiver, and transmission to the designated outpatient providers, often electronically. High-quality summaries are clear, complete, timely, and free of ambiguous instructions. They support patient safety, reduce readmissions, and improve overall care coordination, particularly for patients with multiple chronic conditions or complex discharge plans.