Learn
Understand your medical records.
Plain-English, source-cited references to the documents and lab values that confuse everyone. We explain what things mean and what to ask your doctor — we never diagnose.
Guides
Guides
How to read the documents that pile up — discharge summaries, lab reports, and what to ask your doctor.
How to read a hospital discharge summary
A discharge summary is the hospital's record of why you were admitted, what was done, and what to do next. Read it in five parts: the diagnosis, the treatment given, your discharge medicines, your follow-up plan, and the warning signs to watch for. You do not need to understand every term to act on the important parts.
Read →How to organize your family's medical records
Keep one record per person, sorted by date, with every document in the same place: discharge summaries, lab reports, prescriptions, scans, and bills. The goal is that anyone caring for that person can find the last result in seconds. A digital record that explains each document beats a folder of paper you cannot search.
Read →How to share your medical records with a new doctor
Before seeing a new doctor, gather your recent discharge summaries, the last set of lab reports, your current medicine list, and any imaging reports. Share them as clear copies, organized by date, with a one-line summary of your history. The aim is to give the whole picture in the first two minutes of the visit.
Read →How to read a CBC (complete blood count) report
A complete blood count (CBC) measures the cells in your blood: red cells and hemoglobin (oxygen carrying), white cells (infection fighting), and platelets (clotting). Each value is shown next to a reference range, and a value outside that range is flagged High or Low. A single out-of-range value is common and is not a diagnosis on its own.
Read →ALT and AST: what your liver function test means
ALT and AST are enzymes found mainly in the liver. When liver cells are stressed or damaged, more of these enzymes leak into the blood, so higher values can suggest the liver is under strain. They are part of a liver function test (LFT) and are read together with other values and your history — not alone.
Read →Questions to ask after a hospital discharge
After a hospital stay, the most useful questions cover four things: which medicines to take and which to stop, when and where your follow-up is, what warning signs should bring you back, and what activity or diet limits apply. Asking these before you leave — or at the first follow-up — prevents most avoidable readmissions.
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Lab tests, explained
Lab tests, explained
What each value on your report measures, what an out-of-range result can mean, and what to ask — one test at a time.
What is HbA1c? Your 3-month blood sugar, explained
HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) reflects your average blood sugar over roughly the past two to three months, shown as a percentage. It is widely used to screen for and monitor diabetes. Because it is an average, it is less affected by a single meal than a one-off glucose reading.
Read →What is TSH? Your thyroid test, explained
TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) is a signal from the brain telling the thyroid how much hormone to make. It is the usual first test of thyroid function. A high TSH can suggest an underactive thyroid and a low TSH an overactive one, but TSH is interpreted with other thyroid values and your symptoms.
Read →What is creatinine? Your kidney test, explained
Creatinine is a waste product from normal muscle activity that healthy kidneys filter out of the blood. A blood creatinine test estimates how well your kidneys are clearing it. Higher-than-expected creatinine can suggest the kidneys are filtering less efficiently, but levels vary with muscle mass, hydration, and age.
Read →What is hemoglobin (Hb)? Explained
Hemoglobin (Hb) is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body. It is reported on a CBC. A lower-than-range hemoglobin is commonly associated with anemia, which has many causes; a single low value is read together with other red-cell values and your symptoms.
Read →What is LDL cholesterol? Explained
LDL cholesterol is often called the 'bad' cholesterol because higher levels are associated with a build-up in the arteries over time. It is reported on a lipid profile. What counts as a healthy LDL depends on your overall heart-disease risk, so targets are individual.
Read →What is CRP (C-reactive protein)? Explained
C-reactive protein (CRP) rises in the blood when there is inflammation somewhere in the body. A high CRP signals inflammation but not its location or cause, which could be an infection, an injury, or a chronic condition. It is used alongside symptoms and other tests, not on its own.
Read →What is the vitamin D (25-OH) test? Explained
The vitamin D test usually measures 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH D), the form that best reflects your body's vitamin D stores. Vitamin D helps with bone health and other functions. Lower-than-range results are common, especially with limited sun exposure, and are interpreted with your symptoms and risk factors.
Read →SGPT and SGOT: what these liver values mean
SGPT and SGOT are the older names for the liver enzymes ALT and AST, used on most Indian lab reports. Higher values can suggest the liver is under strain, because these enzymes leak into the blood when liver cells are stressed. They are read together with other liver values, not alone.
Read →What is ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate)? Explained
ESR measures how quickly red blood cells settle in a tube over an hour. A faster rate can indicate inflammation in the body, but like CRP it does not say where or why. It is a non-specific test, interpreted alongside symptoms and other results.
Read →What is platelet count? Explained
Platelets are the smallest blood cells and help your blood clot to stop bleeding. The platelet count on a CBC shows how many you have. Counts that are too low can raise bleeding risk and counts that are too high can affect clotting, but a mildly out-of-range value is common and read in context.
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For India
For India
Decode Indian hospital bills, brand vs generic medicines, and Ayushman Bharat discharge paperwork.
How to decode your Indian hospital pharmacy bill
An Indian hospital pharmacy bill mixes medicines, consumables (syringes, gloves, IV sets, gauze), and services into dozens of line items, often under brand names. To make sense of it, group the lines: which are actual medicines, which are routine consumables, and which are room or procedure charges. Most of the long tail is consumables, which is normal for an inpatient stay.
Read →Indian brand vs generic medicines: a translation guide
In India most medicines are sold under brand names, while the active drug is the generic. The same generic can appear under many brands and forms, which is why a bill can look like many different drugs when it is really a few. Knowing the generic behind each brand helps you understand what was actually given and avoid taking the same drug twice.
Read →Ayushman Bharat discharge paperwork, explained
Under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, a hospital stay generates paperwork beyond the clinical discharge summary: the treatment package details, the claim or pre-authorization documents, and the cashless billing record. Keep the clinical discharge summary and medicine list for your health record, and keep the scheme paperwork for any claim or follow-up queries.
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