Psychiatric discharge letter: structure and template
Psychiatric hospitalisation discharge letter: structure, admission status, discharge treatment, and follow-up. Difference with the liaison letter. Template included.
Countries covered : France
At the end of a hospitalisation, the discharge letter ensures continuity of care: it informs the primary care physician and the follow-up professionals, and secures the transition to outpatient care.
It is a structured medical document, distinct from the liaison letter written during outpatient follow-up. This page details its structure and offers a template.
Discharge letter or liaison letter?
Two documents not to be confused:
- The letter to the primary care physician (liaison letter) accompanies outpatient follow-up: it provides an update at a given moment, in coordination.
- The hospitalisation discharge letter closes a stay: it outlines the reason, the course of stay, the diagnosis, the discharge treatment, and the follow-up arrangements.
The discharge letter has a broader scope and determines the safety of the first few days after discharge.
A regulatory obligation: the discharge liaison letter
Upon discharge from an institution, this letter has a specific name and meets an obligation: it is the discharge liaison letter, made mandatory on January 1, 2017, by Decree No. 2016-995 (Article R. 1112-1-2 of the French Public Health Code). It replaced the former hospital discharge summary.
It is not just a formality: its absence can incur the liability of the practitioner and the facility, and its quality is monitored by the French National Authority for Health (Haute Autorité de santé) as a quality indicator. Hence the importance of being able to produce a complete letter on the day of discharge.
The structure of a discharge letter
- Header and recipients. Identity of the patient, the psychiatrist, the primary care physician, and the follow-up professionals, hospitalisation dates.
- Reason for admission. Circumstances and clinical elements at admission.
- Admission status. Voluntary care or care without consent (SDT, SDRE), with the relevant details.
- Course of stay. Clinical progress, examinations, notable events.
- Diagnosis and summary. Formulated within the medical framework.
- Discharge treatment. Prescription, dosages, duration, monitoring.
- Follow-up arrangements. Appointments, professionals involved, instructions, action to take in case of alert.
- Attachments. Prescription, any useful documents.
Securing the transition
The challenge of the discharge letter is continuity: a clear treatment plan, a scheduled first appointment, explicit instructions, and an identified contact person reduce the risk of disruption in care. Precision regarding the admission status and the action to take is essential.
Discharge letter template to download
Includes the sections above, ready to be completed at the end of the stay. Access the PDF by entering your email:
Ethical framework
Save time on your letters
A discharge letter includes many elements from the file: reason, course of stay, treatment, follow-up. The winning logic: start from a fixed template, standardise the sections, and write while the stay is fresh in your mind.
This is what Delta allows: you capture your observations through live note-taking or dictation, and the tool generates a structured letter according to your template, with a longitudinal patient memory that reuses relevant details. HDS hosting, GDPR compliant.
Frequently asked questions
What is a psychiatric discharge letter?
It is the document that closes a hospitalisation: it outlines the reason, the admission status, the course of stay, the diagnosis, the discharge treatment, and the follow-up arrangements, to ensure continuity of care.
What is the difference with the letter to the primary care physician?
The letter to the primary care physician accompanies outpatient follow-up at a given moment; the discharge letter closes a hospital stay and has a broader scope.
Should the admission status be mentioned?
Yes: voluntary care or care without consent (SDT, SDRE), with the relevant details. This is an important element for follow-up.
What does the 'discharge treatment' section contain?
The prescription, dosages, duration, monitoring, and action to take, supplemented by the prescription order.
Does the letter respect medical confidentiality?
Yes: it is subject to medical confidentiality, shared with follow-up professionals strictly within the limits of coordination of care (Art. L1110-4).
Structured discharge letters, without the chore
Delta generates your letters from your live observations or dictation, using the patient record.
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