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Rewrite a discharge summary into language a patient can act on

Turn a clinical discharge summary into a plain language version that keeps every instruction, dose, and warning intact.

by Noe james · published Sep 6, 2026

Not yet verifiedno reports on GPT-4o yet

Discharge summaries are written for the next clinician, not the patient going home with them. The failure mode when simplifying is losing precision: a dose becomes “your tablets”, a red flag becomes “if you feel unwell”. This keeps every number, name, and warning exactly as written while changing the language around them, and states plainly what the patient must do and when.

Target models
claude-opus-4.5, claude-sonnet-4.5, gpt-4o
Time
10 min
Difficulty
Medium
Cost
4,000 input tokens, ~1,800 output tokens (roughly $0.06 on Opus 4.5)

Tools / stack

Claudethe discharge systema printer or patient portal

Inputs required

The full discharge summary text, and the reading level you are aiming for

Steps

  1. 1.Extract every actionable item first: medications with doses, appointments, red flag symptoms, and activity restrictions.
  2. 2.Rewrite the surrounding explanation in plain language, keeping sentences short.
  3. 3.Carry every dose, drug name, date, and number through unchanged. These are never simplified.
  4. 4.Put the red flag symptoms in their own section with what to do and who to contact for each.
  5. 5.State what happens next and when, including who is responsible for arranging it.
  6. 6.Check the plain version against the original for any instruction that was dropped, and list anything you removed on purpose.

Expected output

A plain language discharge letter with a medications table, a what to do next section, a red flags section, and a list of anything deliberately omitted

Golden Example

Input
Two page discharge summary after a cardiac admission, six medications including two dose changes, follow up in six weeks, four red flag symptoms
Output
One page plain version. All six medications with unchanged doses in a table, both changes marked as changed. Red flags listed with a specific action for each. Follow up stated with who arranges it. Omissions list contains three lines of clinician facing coding detail.

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Reports

3 reports · 3 worked · 0 changed · 0 broke

Raw reproduction reports: evidence, not a verified badge yet.

  • Worked· claude-sonnet-4.5
    v1·Sep 6, 2026

    Reading level came out about right. Tested it on a family member.

    by Chisom collins

  • Worked· claude-sonnet-4.5
    v1·Sep 6, 2026

    by Chidiebere blessing

  • Worked· claude-sonnet-4.5
    v1·Sep 6, 2026

    by TEKAnology