Understanding your medical notes
Plain-English guides to your medical documents
Medical letters and results are written for clinicians, not patients. These free guides explain how each type of document works, decode the abbreviations, and help you know what to ask your doctor. Or skip the reading and paste your own note into Patiently AI for an instant explanation.
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Discharge summary explained
What each section of a hospital discharge letter means, with abbreviations like TTO, Dx, OD and 6/52 decoded.
Read the guide →Referral letter explained
How a GP referral works, what routine, urgent and 2-week-wait mean, and the shorthand decoded.
Read the guide →Prescription abbreviations explained
What OD, BD, PRN, PO and the rest of a medication label mean, and what to check before you take a medicine.
Read the guide →Test & scan results
Blood test results explained
What reference ranges and high/low flags mean, and common tests like FBC, eGFR, LFTs and HbA1c decoded.
Read the guide →MRI report explained
How a radiology report is structured, why the Impression matters most, and terms like lesion and hyperintense.
Read the guide →Ultrasound report explained
What echogenic, hypoechoic, simple cyst and Doppler mean, across abdominal, pelvic and pregnancy scans.
Read the guide →ECG results explained
What sinus rhythm, AF, ectopics and ST changes mean — and why "borderline" is often nothing to worry about.
Read the guide →Biopsy & pathology results explained
Where the conclusion is, and what benign, malignant, in situ, grade and margins mean — explained calmly.
Read the guide →CT scan report explained
How a CT report is structured, why the Impression matters, and terms like contrast, nodule and incidental finding.
Read the guide →Endoscopy & colonoscopy report explained
What polyp, biopsy taken, inflammation and diverticulosis mean — and why many findings are common and benign.
Read the guide →Cervical screening (smear) results explained
What HPV positive, abnormal cells and a colposcopy referral mean — and why abnormal does not mean cancer.
Read the guide →Mammogram results explained
What BI-RADS 0–6, calcifications and a recall mean — and why being called back rarely means cancer.
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