What Do the Terms in a Chinese Hospital Discharge Summary Mean?
A Chinese hospital discharge summary is the document you hand to your home oncologist. It contains the discharge diagnosis, the procedures performed, the medications to continue, the discharge status, and the follow-up recommendations. Each of these sections has its own terminology. Misreading a discharge status or a medication instruction can change what your home team understands about your treatment abroad.
Quick Answer
A Chinese hospital discharge summary (出院小结, chū yuàn xiǎo jié) typically has five main sections: discharge diagnosis (出院诊断), procedures performed (手术/操作), discharge medications (出院带药), discharge status (出院情况), and follow-up recommendations (随访建议). The highest-risk terms are the discharge status words — 治愈 (cured), 好转 (improved), 未愈 (not cured), and 其他 (other) — and the medication instructions, where dosage, frequency, and route can be misread if you rely on machine translation alone. A discharge summary is a clinical document written for the receiving physician, not a patient-facing explanation.
"The discharge summary is just a summary — the details don't matter." — Wrong. The discharge summary is what your home oncologist will rely on to continue your care after you return. A misread discharge status, a misread medication frequency, or a missed follow-up instruction can change what your home team does next. It is the most operationally important document you bring back.
Who This Page Is NOT For
This page is not a tool to interpret your own discharge summary, and it is not a substitute for the explanation given by the discharging hospital. It is for patients and families who have received a Chinese discharge summary and want to understand its structure and terminology — so they can ask better questions of the discharging team and of their home oncologist. Only the discharging hospital and your treating oncologist can interpret the document for your specific case.
The Five Sections of a Chinese Discharge Summary
Most Chinese hospital discharge summaries follow a standard structure. Knowing the sections helps you find the information you need — and helps you notice what is missing.
1. 出院诊断 — Discharge diagnosis
The final diagnosis at the time of discharge. It may include the primary cancer diagnosis, staging, and any complications that occurred during the admission.
- Look for the cancer type and stage
- Check whether complications are listed
- Compare with the pathology report
2. 手术/操作 — Procedures performed
The surgical or interventional procedures performed during the admission, with dates.
- Procedure name and date
- Anesthesia type (if listed)
- Any intraoperative findings
3. 出院带药 — Discharge medications
The medications to continue after discharge, with dosage, frequency, route, and duration.
- Drug name (generic or brand)
- Dose and frequency
- Duration and stop date
4. 出院情况 — Discharge status
A standardized description of the patient's condition at discharge.
- 治愈 (cured)
- 好转 (improved)
- 未愈 (not cured)
- 其他 (other)
5. 随访建议 — Follow-up recommendations
Instructions for follow-up, including when to return, what tests to do, and what symptoms to watch for.
- Follow-up interval
- Recommended tests
- Warning signs to report
The Terms Most Often Misread
| Chinese term | Pinyin | Approximate English | Why it is easy to misread |
|---|---|---|---|
| 治愈 | zhì yù | Cured | In oncology, "cured" is rarely used at discharge. If it appears, confirm what the discharging team meant — it may refer to a specific complication, not the cancer. |
| 好转 | hǎo zhuǎn | Improved | "Improved" describes the condition at discharge relative to admission. It does not mean the cancer is gone. It may refer to symptom control or recovery from a procedure. |
| 未愈 | wèi yù | Not cured | This is a neutral administrative term, not a prognosis. It means the condition was not resolved at discharge — which is common in oncology and does not by itself indicate treatment failure. |
| 其他 | qí tā | Other | When the discharge status is "other," the summary should explain what it means. If it does not, ask. |
| 出院带药 | chū yuàn dài yào | Discharge medications | This section lists medications to continue at home. A misread frequency or dose can lead to incorrect administration. |
| 随诊 | suí zhěn | Follow-up visit | Often paired with an interval (for example, "2周后随诊" = follow-up in 2 weeks). Missing the interval can delay necessary review. |
| 复查 | fù chá | Re-examination / repeat test | Specifies which test to repeat and when. A vague reading ("come back for a check") can lose the specific instruction. |
| 不适随诊 | bù shì suí zhěn | Follow up if unwell | An instruction to return if symptoms worsen — not a substitute for the scheduled follow-up. Both apply. |
A Fictional Example: Reading a Discharge Summary
The example below is fictional. It is used only to show the structure and terminology of a discharge summary. It is not derived from any real patient's records.
How to read this example: The discharge diagnosis gives the cancer type and stage. The procedure section gives the surgery performed and its date. The discharge medications list gives drug names, doses, frequencies, and routes — this is the section most prone to misreading, because a wrong frequency can lead to incorrect dosing at home. The discharge status ("好转" = improved) describes the condition at discharge, not the cancer outcome. The follow-up section gives specific intervals and tests, plus warning signs that require earlier return. All five sections matter; none should be skipped.
Questions to Bring to the Discharging Team and Your Home Oncologist
These questions are educational. They are not an assessment of your case. Review the answers with the discharging hospital and your licensed oncologist.
What is the exact discharge diagnosis, and does it match the pathology report?
Ask for both documents side by side, and clarify any discrepancy before you leave.
What does the discharge status mean in my case?
Ask specifically whether "好转" or "未愈" refers to the cancer, a complication, or the overall condition at discharge.
Can I get the discharge medications written out in full — name, dose, frequency, route, and duration?
Ask for a version you can hand to your home pharmacy, and confirm each drug against the package.
What exactly is the follow-up plan — which tests, at what intervals, and where?
Ask for the schedule in writing, including the specific tests (for example, CT chest) and the interval (for example, 4 weeks).
What symptoms should prompt me to return earlier than scheduled?
Ask for a specific list — fever, breathlessness, wound redness, and any other warning signs relevant to your procedure.
Is there a translated or English version of the discharge summary available?
If not, ask whether the hospital can provide a structured summary in English for your home oncologist.
Continue Your Research
Related reference pages on Chinese medical documents and cancer diagnosis.
What Do 符合, 考虑为, 倾向, and 不除外 Mean?
How four modifier terms express different levels of diagnostic certainty in a Chinese pathology report.
How Do I Match a Chinese Drug Name to Its Generic Name?
Identify a Chinese cancer drug by brand, active ingredient, or generic name.
Which Chinese Medical Terms Are Most Dangerous to Mistranslate?
Ten high-risk terms where a mistranslation can change the meaning of a report.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does "治愈" (cured) in the discharge status mean the cancer is gone?
Not necessarily. In oncology, "cured" is rarely used at discharge. If it appears, confirm what the discharging team meant — it may refer to a specific complication (for example, an infection that resolved), not the cancer. The discharge status is an administrative category describing the condition at discharge, not the long-term prognosis.
Does "未愈" (not cured) mean the treatment failed?
No. "未愈" is a neutral administrative term meaning the condition was not resolved at the time of discharge. In oncology, this is common — many treatments are delivered in cycles, and discharge often occurs between cycles. "未愈" does not by itself indicate treatment failure. Ask the discharging team what the term refers to in your specific case.
Why is the discharge medication section so important?
Because it is what your home pharmacy and home oncologist will use to continue your care after you return. A misread drug name, dose, frequency, or route can lead to incorrect administration. Ask for the section written out in full — name, dose, frequency, route, and duration — and confirm each item against the package before you leave the hospital.
What is the difference between "随诊" and "复查"?
"随诊" (suí zhěn) means a follow-up visit — you go back to see the doctor, usually at a specified interval. "复查" (fù chá) means a repeat test or examination — a specific test (for example, a CT scan) at a specified time. Both are common in discharge summaries, and both matter. A vague reading ("come back for a check") can lose the specific instruction.
What does "不适随诊" mean?
"不适随诊" (bù shì suí zhěn) means "follow up if unwell" — an instruction to return if symptoms worsen. It is not a substitute for the scheduled follow-up; both apply. If you experience the warning signs listed in the follow-up section (fever, breathlessness, wound redness), return earlier than scheduled.
Where can I find the full list of Chinese medical document reference pages?
This page is part of a series of question-based reference pages on Chinese medical documents. Related pages cover pathology certainty terms, drug-name matching, high-risk mistranslation terms, laboratory reports, imaging reports, and molecular reports. You can find the full list on the Evidence Hub.
Sources & References
- 国家卫生健康委员会. 病历书写基本规范. (National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China. Basic Standards for Medical Record Writing.) nhc.gov.cn ↗
- 中国医院协会. 出院小结书写规范. (Chinese Hospital Association. Standards for Writing Discharge Summaries.)
- 北京市海淀医院病理科. 病理报告="有字天书"？别急，一文教你看懂. 2024-08-28. Beijing Municipal Health Commission ↗
- 公卫科普. 普通人如何快速看懂自己的病理报告？2025-01-07.
- 腾讯医典. 免疫组化检查：如何解读结果. baike.qq.com ↗