D/C

Abbreviation with 2 meanings

D/C
Stands forDischarge
Meanings2
CategoriesMedical

D/C has two meanings. It stands for Discharge (medical documentation) or Discontinue (medical documentation).

Meanings of D/C at a glance

#D/C stands forContext
1DischargeMedical › Medical Documentation
2DiscontinueMedical › Medical Documentation

1. Discharge

Medical · Medical Documentation Abbreviations

Release of a patient from the hospital, emergency department, program or service, used as a noun or verb in notes and orders such as "D/C home" or "D/C planning". Discharge orders state the destination, condition and instructions.

Example: Anticipated D/C home tomorrow with home health PT if ambulating independently.

Also written DC or d/c. The ISMP list of error-prone abbreviations includes D/C because "discharge" and "discontinue" have been confused, sometimes stopping a patient's medications that were meant to continue at discharge. It is not on The Joint Commission's official Do Not Use list, but many hospitals ban it in orders; writing "discharge" in full is safest.

2. Discontinue

Medical · Medical Documentation Abbreviations

Order to stop a medication, treatment, device or test, as in "D/C Foley" or "D/C heparin drip". It is one of the most common verbs in clinical orders.

Example: D/C IV fluids; saline lock, continue oral hydration.

Also written DC or d/c. ISMP lists D/C as error-prone because a list of medications followed by "D/C" has been read as "discharge medications", leading to wrongly stopped or continued drugs. The Joint Commission's official Do Not Use list does not include it, but many hospitals prohibit it in medication orders and require "discontinue" or "stop".

More medical documentation abbreviations

  • CBE – Charting by exception
  • CC – Chief complaint
  • CDI – Clinical documentation improvement
  • CPOE – Computerized provider order entry
  • CTM – Continue to monitor
  • Cx – Culture
  • DAR – Data, Action, Response
  • DDx – Differential diagnosis
  • DOE – Dyspnea on exertion
  • DS – Discharge summary
  • Dx – Diagnosis
  • EHR – Electronic health record

See all 79 medical documentation abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.