Discharge

An excretion or substance evacuated from the body.

The secretion of liquid from an opening.

The process of sending a patient away from a hospital because the treatment has ended.

The formal release of a patient from a physician’s care or from a hospital (in Canada, a hospital discharge is called a “separation”). Sometimes called “signing out” the patient. A discharge terminates certain responsibilities on the part of the provider.

Substance that is excreted from an organ or part.

Release from the hospital. Before departing, a person must have discharge orders from the doctor and a release form from the hospital business office. A discharge planner in the hospital can help plan for health care needs following release (such as entrance into another health care facility, arrangement for a visiting nurse, or the ordering of equipment such as a wheelchair).

Abnormal emission or emissions from any part of the body. It usually applies to purulent material for example, the septic material which comes away from an infected ear, or nose but can be the result of excess secretions from the mucous linings of the vagina or rectum. A quite different definition is the term used when a patient leaves hospital after an in-patient stay.

To release from care; done by a physician, other medical care worker, or a medical care facility.

The observable release of fluid from an opening or a break in the skin, such as a wound or a burst boil, is referred to as a discharge. While certain types of discharge, such as vaginal discharge, can be considered normal, it can also be indicative of an infection or inflammation. For instance, rhinitis, which involves inflammation of the nasal passages, urethritis, an infection of the urethra, or proctitis, an infection of the rectum, can all give rise to discharges.